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BlueRaven

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    BlueRaven got a reaction from Blackb1rd in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    Have Terra and Vis drink some highly diuretic fruit juice. Include Vis' supporters in the contest.
    Custom charisma suggestion:
    [Non-Target] Convince Raaka that Omoania requires her aid by giving the bard's lute back and joining in the festivities with plenty to drink. – ??%
    I gander we can use our previous friendship with Raaka and her knowledge of our goddess to our advantage here and sway the harpy towards helping us with the altar. We can tell her straight up that we need Pinna and as many people as possible to be desperate to pee in order to reactivate the altar of our goddess, and we need the bard's musical string-plank to help get the drinks flowing. Plus, if Raaka becomes privy to our goals, maybe she can help distract Pinna from a bathroom dash for us.
    Shift the party to a jovial mood, increasing the drinks going out – 70%
    I'm staying with this one. If the drinks flow, the traffic to the bathrooms will increase anyway, more kobolds may join in on the contest, and Basil will join in on drinking to get his bladder filled up.
    *Special Offer: Spend 2 Bladder Ping Charges to ping both Terra and Vis
    Next turn, I say we get Basil and Raaka to help us reactivate the altar and have them convince Pinna to use the altar as a toilet, and somehow sway the holding contest into ending the same way.
  2. cheer
    BlueRaven reacted to Blackb1rd in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    Action Vote:
    Charisma
    [Charm] Compliment Pinna’s performance – 0
    Encourage Pinna to come up with a ballad to win over the kobolds – 0
    Encourage Pinna to cheer Terra up – 4
    Mislead Pinna about where the bathrooms are – 0
    [Non-Target] Chat with Basil to get him onboard with activating the altar – 0
    [Non-Target] Encourage Raaka to give back the lute – 1
    Conjuration
    [Levitate] Pull down Pinna’s Pants – 0
    [Levitate] Pull Pinna’s lute free of Raaka when she arrives – 0
    Spill Vis’ tray of drinks when she’s near Terra – 1
    Tighten the waistline of Pinna’s pants – 0
    Sabotage the clasp on Pinna’s pants – 1
    Influence
    Cause Pinna to become thirsty – 0
    [Temp. Flux] Cause Pinna to become hot – 0
    [Temp. Flux] Cause Pinna to become cold – 0
    Exhaust Raaka to make it easier for Pinna to get her lute back – 1
    Shift the party to a jovial mood, increasing the drinks going out – 1 + Coin Flip
    Shift the party to a calmer mood, increasing the traffic to the bathrooms – 0
    Cause Pinna to become Aroused – 0
    [Temp. Flux] Chill Vis to make her more susceptible to leaking while near Terra – 1
     
    Ability Vote:
    Bladder Ping (Vis) – 1
    Bladder Numbing (Pinna) – 3
    Bladder Push – 0
    Hold off for now – 0
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    Despite the slight interruption caused by Pinna’s arrival, the feast was kicking into full swing. Savory aromas floated on the breeze from the partially devoured boars still rotating over cooking fires as the chefs warded away kobolds already looking for seconds. The air buzzed with idle chatter, melding with the bard’s pipe music to create a pleasant ambiance. Drinks were also going out at a good rate, both regular and fermented fruit juices alike as you and Omoania watched on in eager anticipation. Some of the more inebriated kobolds were already getting a bit more handsy with their neighbors, though most remained polite enough to shuffle off to one of the hovels or alcoves before things progressed too far.
     
    You ran another quick check on your prospective targets. Terra still sat in her isolated corner, quietly chomping down on her plate of food while constantly shifting her seating position as she surreptitiously checked for Vis. The pink kobold in question was still on her drink serving duties, though the current demand was slow enough that she was able to relax with her own merry band, a slight rubbing of her ankles the only outward sigh of her own bladder level. There was no trace of Basil or Raaka yet, though the absence of Aratu indicated that the gnoll was probably getting changed at that very moment. With any luck, Raaka was still hanging out at the upper balconies for Basil to retrieve upon his return.
     
    You worked your way back around to Pinna, the tiefling by far the most desperate at the moment and the kobolds were beginning to take notice. Eyes screwed shut, Pinna swayed back and forth as she played, legs tightly squeezed together as her barbed tail twitched and jerked with nervous energy. Some of her immediate audience were quietly joking among themselves at the bard’s struggle, but most seemed perfectly content to let her music wash over them. At this point, you were quite impressed with her stamina, as not a single drop of pee had thus far dampened her panties. But that only meant that once the flow started, she would be unable to stop.
     
    As she finished the final stanza with a theatrical flourish, the nearby kobolds gave a smattering of applause and tail thumps against the ground as Pinna bent in a wobbly bow. You sidle back into your mental link with her, offering your own compliments to the exquisite performance. She took your words in stride, taking a quick breather while she inspected the food plate the kobolds had been kind enough to provide, though she notably avoided the cup of juice as another tremor briefly quaked her knees. “Nothing to it partner, I’m just glad that music is a universal language. Say, you haven’t spotted my lute yet, have you? Though I’d also settle for a bathroom at the moment…”
     
    Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted Basil and Aratu reemerge from a side tunnel, with the red kobold attempting to tug the freshly dressed gnoll towards his seating near the altar. Basil only shook his head and pointed towards the stairs leading to the upper caves and exterior platforms. After apparently extracting a promise from the gnoll, the pair split and went their separate ways, with Aratu moving slowly and craning his neck as if looking for someone else.
     
    Realizing that Pinna was still waiting for an answer, you regretfully inform her that you hadn’t checked for the kobold’s facilities yet. But you did have a sneaking suspicion that her lute would soon unveil itself to her once more. “Well that’s a bit of cryptic answer.” Pinna huffed before double checking the security on her pack. “Guess I’ll see what the kobolds have to say about the restroom situation then.”
     
    A new idea struck you, a plan to get this feast truly hopping. Just as Pinna was sizing up the most approachable table, you asked if she knew any songs that could really tap the audiences toes. It may be best to leave the lizards off with something to hum to themselves before the she took a much deserved break after all. You could feel Pinna’s resistance to the idea, but without a clear bathroom in sight and the nearby kobolds already getting restless, she relented. “...Alright, I know a tune or two. Much better with lyrics of course, but I’ll give them one last set. Bathroom first thing after that though, let me know if you find something.”
     
    If you had fingers, you would’ve crossed them as you said you would. With a nod and a deep breath to center herself, Pinna launched into a new song. The notes were light and cheerful, dancing up and down the musical register just tantalizing out of reach. The nearby kobolds perked up, heads and tails already starting to tap along with the beat Pinna stamped out with one boot. The bard wasn’t pouring much magic into the song, but you could still feel the ambient energy in the air start to twitch and bend in response. Much like against the thunder jaw, you latched onto the the provided path and began funneling spare mana into the tune.
     
    Shift the Party to a Jovial Mood
    Influence Roll: 60% Base + 10% (Infl. Lvl 2) = 70% Total
     
     
     
    You thought you had things pretty well in hand after the centipede fight, but this new song was difficult to keep pace with. Your enchantment did successfully implant in some of the listening kobolds as they rose to their feet and began a rather comical improvised dance to the tune. But for a majority of the listeners, the mana simply washed off without effect, even as they still bobbed along to the music. As you realized you were pulling more and more of your own reserves, you regretfully aborted the attempted weaving, letting the music continue unaugmented. Despite your failure, you did gain a new appreciation for the skill, and you felt more confident about trying again in the near future.
     
    As the ballad reached it’s conclusion, some of your minds panicked as they realized you were rapidly running out of reasonable excuses to delay Pinna’s bathroom trip. With still no sign of Basil or Raaka, you instead riffled though your arsenal of Omoania spells. As bladder number numbing was still at full charge, you settled on that, once more navigating the curses of decay as you hovered behind the performing tiefling.
     
    Ability: Bladder Numbing Level 3 on Pinna
    Ability Roll: 100% Base – 20% (Curse of Decay x2) = 80% Total Success chance
     
     
     
    As the soothing sensations intertwined around her mostly full bladder, the tension eased in Pinna as she gained new confidence in her playing. You breathed a sigh of relief as she improvised a new ending that complimented the more simplistic dancing still being performed by some of her audience. As the last notes died off, Pinna again swept into a bow, this time to much louder applause from those assembled. Even the armed warrior escort hovering at the edge of Pinna’s area finally began to ease up and take more notice of food and dancers as opposed to watching their charge.
     
    Deciding to go out on the limb, you asked Pinna if she was still planning on taking that bathroom break as she settled into the oversized chair that must have been originally made with Basil in mind. “You know partner, it’s the weirdest thing,” Pinna commented as she finally finally picked up the clay goblet the kobolds left for her. “I should probably still go, but I don’t need to as badly as before. I guess it was just a mix of first song nerves and adrenaline from fighting that thunder worm. Speaking of which…”
     
    Pinna sipped and immediately puckered her lips at the tart drink while you followed her gaze. You jerked back in alarm at the sight of the armored chitin body wriggling through the village center when you realized the beast was only being propelled forward by a set of sturdy ropes and a team of several dozen kobolds. “Industrious little bastards, aren’t they?” Pinna chucked as a squadron of veteran cooks descended on one end of the corpse with a variety of sharp implements. “If it’s all the same to them, I think I’ll stick to animals that have less than five legs.”
     
    As you shared in the tiefling’s amusement, you again felt Omoania tug your attention towards Terra’s lonely corner. The emerald green kobold was still picking at her plate, rocking in place as the claws on her free hand tapped against her nearly bare thigh. It really was a shame that she was so down in the dumps, especially since Vis’ teasing was only being heard by her own cronies. And if Terra’s own suspicions about the cause of last night’s bedwetting were correct… Well you had to do something to help her out.
     
    It was good thing you were currently partnered up with someone who specialized in just that. Mentally nudging Pinna, you asked if she’d noticed the kobold sitting by herself in the corner. After a few moments and some more specific directions from you, Pinna zeroed in on Terra and frowned. “I think I saw them earlier when I was getting walked in, but I was more concerned with all the spears pointed at me. They do look pretty sullen compared to everyone else…” The bard’s eyebrows furrowed as you provided the last push, stating that if none one else was intervening, maybe the two of you could.
     
    Tell Pinna to Cheer Terra Up
    Charisma Roll: 70% Base – 10% (Bardic Confidence) + 15% (Char. Lvl 3) = 75% Total
     
     
     
    Pinna’s face broke out in a roguish smile as she rose and stretched. “Couldn’t have said it better myself partner, almost makes me wish I met you back when I was fresh out the hells. Now let’s see if we can’t cheer… you said it was a her, right? I’m actually struggling to tell without hair or… these.” She patted her own breasts, shifting the motion to brush off some imagined dust as she noticed a fair amount of eyes attentively following her.
     
    After assuring her more devout listeners that’s she’d get back to playing soon, you and Pinna began picking your way to Terra’s corner. Continuing the conversation, you inform the tiefling that from a distance, the second most reliable indicator of kobold gender was the slope of the eye ridges. “What’s the first?” Pinna innocently asked right before a pair of still enthusiastic dancers twirled across her path, their worker garb flying up enough to give Pinna and everyone else an unobstructed view before they moved away again. “Oh. Right.” The bard gulped as she reflexively averted her eyes at the display.
     
    Terra gave a start as Pinna’s shadow abruptly darkened her corner, the kobold cringing down as the tiefling leaned against the adjacent sandstone wall. “Hello there! For such a pretty little kobold, you look like you could use a bit of a pick-me-up. How about you choose what my next song is?” Pinna chatted amicably as Terra only blinked up in surprise. “...Although I’m just realizing we probably don’t share the same selection of music. Tell you what, hum a tune for a bit and I’ll find something similar that I know.” Pinna finished with a disarming smile and wave of her pipes, even as she sat down a little ways away the shy kobold.
     
    Terra stared at the tiefling for a few seconds and you wondered if this was the first time she’d properly registered the newcomer in the village. Just when the silence was edging on uncomfortable, Terra sighed and drew her knees up to her chest, her tail wrapping comfortingly around her. “…I’m fine, but you should get back to playing. The rest of the village really seems to like your music, uh-”
     
    “The name’s Pinna, and yes, originally from the infernal planes, but having a blast a up here. What’s your name?” The tiefling cut in, effortlessly picking up the slack in the conversation. She offered her free hand to shake, which Terra accepted after a moment’s hesitation.
     
    “I’m called Terra.” The kobold was starting to perk up a bit, her own lips tugging back as she took more interest in Pinna. Before she could do more than limply shake Pinna’s much warmer hand, a bark of laughter echoed across the nearby tables. A group of lizards were chuckling into their brimming drink cups as they shot covert glances towards the pair. Vis stood beside them, casually flipping a now empty tray in the her claws as her eyes glinted with a malicious sparkle. Terra immediately drew into herself again, but Pinna leveled a fiery stare that soon had the table hurriedly shuffling their seats to put some extra distance between them.
     
    As the laughter finally cut off, Pinna glanced back to Terra and gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder. “Seriously, what’s going on here Terra? Why’s everyone else treating a perfectly fine kobold like a leper? Anyone in particular I can light a fire under?” The bard snapped her fingers, waving the resulting candle flame of hellfire in a half-jesting, half-threatening manner.
     
    Terra squirmed and buried her snout in her folded knees as she let out a soft whine. “It’s too embarrassing, but please don’t do anything that’ll get you thrown out. They’ll probably forget it about by the new moon.” Deciding a new introduction wasn’t appropriate at this time, you nonetheless open a covert mental link with the kobold to convey a general sense of comfort and acceptance to her, hoping to dispel her dower mood.
     
    “Too embarrassing, huh?” Pinna chewed the inside of her cheek as she gazed up towards the cavern’s distant ceiling. “Then how about I start with a story of my own? About half a year ago, I’d just rode into this small town to find that their inn was completely out of beds to sleep in. Luckily, I struck a deal with the dwarven proprietors. They’d bring out a fresh barrel of drink and if I kept business booming till it was empty, I’d get their own bed to rest in.”
     
    Terra looked up, tilting her head in interest as Pinna continued a story that was vaguely familiar to you. “So I’m there playing every song I know without a break and everyone’s enjoying themselves. Only I start to do some figuring and realize we’re probably going to end the night with just a little bit of the barrel left. My brilliant solution was to immediately walk over and order two big mugs all for myself.”
     
    Smiling at her past foolhardiness, Pinna scooted closer and leaned in conspiratorially to the now attentive Terra. “The only problem was that I originally intended to use that break to… well, I needed to pee. And now I’d just drunk a whole lot more liquid and the dwarf bartender was pushing me back on the stage to play some more. My bladder was really starting to fill up as I had no real choice but to start the next song.”
     
    “Did everyone notice?” Terra asked, also in a whispered voice. The kobold was apparently feeling her own pressing need, tail and knees briefly tightening as a wave of desperation washed over her. Yet she was so enraptured by Pinna’s tale that a bathroom trip was far from her mind.
     
    The bard gave a rueful smile and nodded, subtly massaging her own abdomen as she felt her own bladder twinge even through your numbing spell. “They sure did, especially once my dancing became less and less of part of the show and more just trying to make sure I didn’t completely pee my pants. Most were giving me sympathetic smiles, but the really drunk ones were heckling me without mercy. In the end that actually saved me, as the bartender’s wife had enough and all but ordered me to scoot off to the bathroom. I ran off that stage with both hands jammed between my legs and tail tied in knots. I did make it, barely, but I knew most of the audience could probably hear how hard I was pissing through the bathroom door.”
     
    “And… What did you do? About the ones making fun of you?” Terra asked, her expression pleading.
     
    Pinna let out a short bark. “Well, once I got myself looking decent again, I stormed back out and gave them a piece of my mind. The bartender and wife joined in, as did a number of other audience members. We tossed the hecklers out on their asses and the wife bought the rest of the barrel on my behalf. Still one of my best nights of sleep in recent memory.”
     
    Letting out a long sigh, Pinna stretched and stood, Terra following suit next to her. Brushing her auburn hair from her eyes, the tiefling gives the kobold a playful nudge. “You don’t actually have to tell me what’s going with you, especially if it’s embarrassing. But if someone’s giving you a hard time over it, speak up. You probably have a lot more villagers on your side than you think, but they need someone to rally behind. Now come on, you can have some of my food while I start the next song, I think the cooks gave me the best cuts.”
     
    “Wait!” Terra reached out and caught the hem of the bard’s vest. Pulling Pinna back into the corner, the kobold beckoned her in close. “About my story… it’s similar to yours, except in a different order. I was already in my sleeping nook. And… I didn’t quite wake up until the audience was already there…”
     
    “Well that’s one way to put it.” A haughty voice cut in and you turned to see that Vis had decided to take a more direct approach. The pink-scaled kobold bowed her head towards Pinna and proffered her fully restocked drink tray in her direction, one slightly larger cup front and center. “Pay no further mind to my… tragically incontinent hatch-sister. I had this refreshment specially prepared for your devilish tastes and we are all eager to hear your next ballad.” Behind her, several more drink servers and their neighboring tables watched with mild curiosity.
     
    Vis’ voice was dripping with polite condescension and you were relieved to see that Pinna wasn’t buying her false compliments for a moment. Giving Vis a serious amount of side-eye, Pinna looked back to a very indignant Terra. “...Are you absolutely sure this doesn’t call for some hellfire?”
     
    Terra waved Pinna off and took a confident step forward. “Vis. This has gone on long enough. I know you had something to do with my… accident.” The pink kobold let out what had to be a rehearsed gasp of shock while more heads swiveled in their direction. You saw Terra hesitate, unnerved by the attention before she continued in a more restrained tone. “We used to be close, why are you doing even this?”
     
    Vis ignored the question, instead playing up the absurdness of Terra’s accusation. “Oh my, I know you’re ashamed about this morning, but I didn’t expect you to lash out like this, dear Terra.” A flicker of a smile danced across her features before Vis turned her nose up and stepped back. “It seems as though you struggle with holding in your emotions and your water.” She added with a barely repressed snicker.
     
    “I can hold my pee better than you any day!” Terra snapped and a hush fell over the spectators. Even Pinna seemed caught off guard, her expression flickering between righteous anger and confusion. You watched Terra hesitate before doubling down, with only a little nudge of affirmation from your covert mental link required. “Y-yeah, I can hold better you and I’ll prove it right now! Last one to go to the deep holes is in the wrong!”
     
    Vis’ attempted scoff at Terra’s proposal was quickly overruled by a general clamor among the nearby kobolds. While there were some deriding the challenge as folly, a majority seemed to be on Terra’s side, seeing the contest as a method of karmic justice or a way to see who the gods favored. Clearly not anticipating this reaction, Vis scowled and rebalanced her drink tray on one clawed hand, using the free limb to point at Terra’s already shifting legs and tail. “This is ludicrous, you’re already squirming in place!”
     
    “I can still hold longer than you.” Terra reaffirmed. Buoyed by the general support of the crowd, the green kobold was beginning to assert herself much to your silent approval. “Don’t pretend that you haven’t been sipping from most of your cups since the feast started. You’ve just been moving around the whole time to hide it.”
     
    Despite being meant as a barb, Terra’s words only served to inspire Vis’ next excuse. “I don’t have time for this, I need to get back to work.” She backpedaled, taking another step back towards the watching tables.
     
    That was when Pinna finally stepped in. With a quick half-step, she moved to Vis and effortlessly plucked the drink tray from her. Unceremoniously shoving the entire tray onto a nearby table, the occupants hurriedly rescuing their own refreshments, the tiefling turned back around and clapped her hands. “There! Drinks are served. Problem. Solved.” She smirked as Vis glowered up at her with clenched fists.
     
    The pink kobold stalked forward and reached for the now abandoned tray. You had the momentary fear she was about to use the wooden board as an improvised weapon, but Vis instead grabbed two cups of water for among the selection. Her anger seemed to melt away as she returned to Terra, offering the slightly fuller of the two cups to green kobold. “Fine. Terra, if you want to humiliate yourself a second time, that’s no scales off my tail.” As Terra accepted the cup, Vis made a show of knocking back her own water cup and noisily gulping down the liquid within. Tail waving contentedly behind her, Vis watched Terra’s obvious hesitance and renewed fidgeting at the prospect of doing the same.
     
    Vis’ abrupt turn had you worried as well. You’d need a few bladder pings to be sure, but your superficial observations were already favoring Vis. If need be, you had bladder push to level the field for Terra a bit, but a few leaks wouldn’t be enough to determine the victor. You didn’t doubt that Terra’s determination was greater, but the odds were stacked against her. Perhaps you might make some suggestions to make this more interesting, this was something that a sprite of Omoania would have undisputed authority over after all.
     
    As your minds began debating the various possibilities, a second commotion caught your attention. Away from the current crowd surrounding Pinna and the feuding kobolds, some sort of scuffle was breaking out around one of the cook fires currently steaming the thunder jaw meat. Your attention was further piqued by the sight of rusty red wings waving frantically in the air as a certain harpy dodged away from some very upset chefs.
     
    “-Huff, Huff, many leg meat too hot!” Raaka panted, using her wings to fan cooler air into her burned mouth. Drawing closer, you found nearly all the cooks in unanimous agreement with her, many of them aghast at the harpy’s brazen forwardness to grab food directly from the cook fire. In the distance, you saw a winded Basil emerge from a side tunnel, shaking his head at the commotion Raaka was already causing.
     
    You took a moment to evaluate Raaka as she bickered with the cooks. She was wearing the same slightly torn clothing and carry pack as when you first spotted her today. To your relief, Pinna’s lute was secured inside the pack, lightly bouncing to and fro as the harpy strutted about. Outside of a light tan, Raaka stood tall and didn’t seem to have overly suffered from her extended wait in the afternoon sun. A little too tall actually, as not a single trace of pee desperation was apparent in her body language. You supposed she’d gone at some point while you were exploring the depths of the mesa, but with her comparatively weaker bladder, maybe the right drinks could still build her up once more.
     
    You weren’t the only one to take note of the new arrival. Pinna had worked herself free of the throng surrounding Vis and Terra, the tiefling’s eyes locked on her gently swaying lute while Raaka’s back was turned. Gritting her teeth, Pinna broke into a run, kicked up clouds of dust and alarming many nearby kobolds as she dove for the rouge harpy. Unfortunately, you saw Raaka’s head tilt at the sound of Pinna’s sprinting, the harpy shooting up into the air with a mighty flap of her wings and a high-pitched shriek of alarm. Pinna uselessly grasped at the recently vacated space and landed with a grunt, her now nearly full bladder again showing a surprising amount of resilience to the sudden stress.
     
    Perching on one of the bridges that spanned the central cavern, Raaka imperiously looked down at her would-be assailant. “What is red-skin doing among scaled ones?” She chirped, head tilted curiously as Pinna scrambled back to her feet far below.
     
    Letting out a most uncharacteristic snarl, Pinna pointed up at the harpy. “That’s… my… lute! Give it back, you…. you pigeon!” Spotting a set of stairs, the tiefling took a half dozen steps before realizing that Raaka could simply fly to another platform before she ever hope to close the distance.
     
    Recognition sparked in Raaka’s eyes and she let out a cackling laugh. “Ha! Stringed stick is Raaka’s now, grounded red-skin can’t catch Raaka. Leave alone before Raaka takes more of red-skin’s things, for Raaka is the best taker on Mesa!” She crowed, throwing her wings wide and nearly knocking some curious kobolds beside her over the edge.
     
    Looking around at the assembled villagers, Pinna gestured to her pipe set and then the harpy. “Hey! You lot want some better music for your feast? Get my instrument back from that thief and I’ll make sure this festival is one to remember.” Alas, not many of the kobolds in this corner of the village had listened to Pinna’s earlier performance, though a fair few seemed more intrigued at the prospect of a chase or fight as entertainment instead. No one leapt to the bard’s aid, and many of the kobolds sharing Raaka’s bridge began joining in the harpy’s laughter.
     
    “For the record, I did try.” With heavy footsteps, Basil drew abreast of Pinna and sighed. “But she was much more intent on reaching the food than engaging in an honest negotiation.”
     
    “Then go get your crossbow, I’m not leaving here without my lute.” Pinna growled, hands planted firmly on her hips. Her defiance lasted only as long before another tremble down below caused her to cross her legs. Your numbing was still active for at least a little longer, the tiefling’s endurance actually working against her, but even Omoania’s spells had their limits.
     
    Basil leveled a stern glance down at her. “I’m not hurting her, she’s too useful to the village. Even if some kobold guards need a reminder of that on occasion.” Sensing Pinna’s palpable disappointment, he gave her a hearty slap on the back. “We’ll figure something out, I promise.”
     
    “That goes for you too, partner.” Pinna commented via your still active mental link. “Guess this is what you meant by my lute resurfacing soon. If you have any ideas, let me and the big guy know. I just hope this doesn’t take too long, I don’t like leaving Terra alone in that… bizarre contest against that pink bitch.”
     
    You assure her that you’ll help anyway you can, along with keeping an eye on Terra. The first hints of your usual exhaustion were starting to creep in, but you resolved yourself to stick around for as long as possible. There was so much fun to still be had, a tiefling to wet, a holding contest to run, and a long dead altar to awaken. You couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    Quite a split board on the second action vote this round. In the end, it didn’t matter much with the resultant dice roll, it looks like our fantastic luck is winding down. Let’s hope we don’t run into a critical failure ahead…
     
    It took a while, but we finally have a legit holding contest going on. I’ve opened up a new selection of bonus actions to vote for to make things a little more interesting. It’s not a true holding contest with a fair and even start, but I’m interested to see how this plays out. And because Omoania decrees it, I’m also temporarily allowing for a double use of bladder ping in case you want to see how both kobolds are handling things.
     
    As for how much time left on this expedition…. Well it’s certainly looking a lot like Pinna’s final turn with dry pants is up to bat right now. But with so many other subplots currently converging, it doesn’t feel fair to only have 2 or 3 dice rolls left to get things to where we want them to end off, even with the newly unlocked bonus actions. We still have to make a play for the altar activation after all ;). But I am formally announcing now that there’s only two turns left, the one you’re voting for this time and the one after that. Make your choices carefully and don’t forget about doubling down, voting will close by the end of Tuesday, March 26th. Until then, I hope everyone has a fantastic rest of the day.
     
     
    Global Scenario Modifiers:
    Defunct Omoania Altar – This former idol to your goddess sits dry and slumbering in its new location at the center of the village. If you succeed in filling the statue’s bowl with liquid, it will activate, hitting everyone in the immediate vicinity with a maximum level bladder push spell, as well as awarding you three bonus skill points.
     
    Target Modifiers:
     
     
     
     
    Sprite Modifiers and Abilities:
     
     
     
     
    Pinna’s bladder is currently at 91%, but is numbed down to 71% for a little longer
    Pinna is conspiring with you to get her lute back from a stubborn Raaka
    Pinna does not yet trust you enough to activate the Omoania altar, but returning her lute will help
    Basil may be willing to activate the altar if you talk to him further
    Terra and Vis have started an impromptu holding contest, to which you can suggest additional challenges
     
    Bonus Action: Suggest a Holding Contest Challenge
    Have Terra and Vis drink some highly diuretic fruit juice
    Start some light exercise
    Start some taxing stretches
    Have Terra and Vis strip naked
    Have Terra and Vis put on underwear
    [Temp Flux] Chill both Terra and Vis
    Arouse Terra and Vis
    Have Terra and Vis put a hand in a warm bowl of water
    Hold off for now
     
    Suggested Actions:
    Charisma
    [Charm] Compliment Pinna’s performance – 60%
    Get the bottom of the feud between Terra and Vis – 50%
    Mislead Pinna about where the bathrooms are – 70%
    Establish a bonus punishment for the first to leak in the holding contest – 70%
    [Non-Target] Chat with Basil to get him onboard with activating the altar – 60%
    [Non-Target] Encourage Raaka to give back the lute – 60%
    Conjuration
    [Levitate] Pull down Pinna’s Pants – 50%
    [Levitate] Pull Pinna’s lute free of Raaka – 40%
    [Levitate] Offer Raaka a diuretic drink as a distraction – 50%
    Sneakily push on Vis’ bladder – 55%
    Tighten the waistline of Pinna’s pants – 60%
    Sabotage the clasp on Pinna’s pants – 65%
    Influence
    Cause Pinna to become thirsty – 50%
    [Temp. Flux] Cause Pinna to become hot – 70%
    [Temp. Flux] Cause Pinna to become cold – 30%
    Exhaust Raaka to make it easier for Pinna to get her lute back – 50%
    Shift the party to a jovial mood, increasing the drinks going out – 70%
    Shift the party to a calmer mood, increasing the traffic to the bathrooms – 70%
    Cause Pinna to become Aroused – 60%
     
    Available Abilities:
    Bladder Ping – 2/3 Charges Remaining (Specify Target)
    *Special Offer: Spend 2 Bladder Ping Charges to ping both Terra and Vis
    Bladder Push – 1/1 Charges Remaining (Specify Target)
    Hold off for now
     
    *Edit - @BlueRaven: Ostensibly, your charisma suggestion is still (Convince Raaka to give the lute back) and I’ll be counting it as such when I get around to the final tally. Though as with your previous custom inputs, I have zero objections to spinning the resultant conversation in that direction on a successful charisma roll. 😉 
     
  3. thinking
    BlueRaven got a reaction from Blackb1rd in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    [Charisma] Encourage Pinna to cheer Terra up – 70%
    [Influence] Shift the party to a jovial mood, increasing the drinks going out – 60%
    [Use Ability] Bladder numbing on Pinna.
    Sow the seeds of a holding contest. Make the kobolds merry, cheer Terra up, let the drinks pour, and the urine will flow. Once we have Basil and Raaka here, we'll have their help to get things started.
    Maybe if Vis is overburdened with serving drinks, we might get lucky and have her spill them anyway.
  4. love
    BlueRaven reacted to Blackb1rd in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    Action Vote:
    Charisma
    [Charm] Compliment Pinna’s bravery in face of the dungeon’s challenges – 0
    Encourage Pinna to come up with a ballad to win over the kobolds – 0
    Encourage Pinna to cheer Terra up – 1
    Come up with solid plan and coordinate with Basil and Pinna – 0
    [Non-Target] Let Basil know Raaka is currently not allowed into the feast – 3
    [Non-Target] Summon the kobold guards to aid in the fight – 1
    Conjuration
    [Levitate] Pull down Pinna’s Pants – 0
    Act as a distraction for the fight – 0
    [Levitate] Pull out Pinna’s potions for her and Basil to drink – 2
    Tighten the waistline of Pinna’s pants – 0
    Sabotage the clasp on Pinna’s pants – 0
    Sabotage the clasp on Basil’s pants – 0
    Influence
    Cause Pinna to become thirsty – 0
    [Temp. Flux] Cause Pinna to become hot – 0
    [Temp. Flux] Cause Pinna to become cold – 0
    Influence nearby creatures to boost the effect of Pinna’s music – 3
    Cause Pinna to become Aroused – 0
     
    Ability Vote:
    Bladder Ping (Basil) – 5
    Bladder Numbing – 0
    Bladder Push – 0
    Hold off for now – 0
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    Settling on a game plan, you leave the monstrous centipede to its lurking and head back down the tunnel to where you left Pinna and Basil. Preoccupied with your various ideas, you nearly overshot the pair, Basil’s torch having been doused in favor of the tiefling’s much subtler glow crystal. Hovering over them, you were pleased to find the two quietly conversing about their various strengths, with Pinna on the tailend of her bardic abilities. “...And then there’s the opposite, which I like call lullaby. Makes creatures and people alike take a load off and settle in real calmly as long as I keep playing.” She explained as Basil nodded thoughtfully.
     
    “So that’s how you were so easily able to navigate the upper levels alone.” The gnoll commented. He shifted uncertainly, a brief grimace flickering across his muzzle as he cradled his crossbow on his lap. Noticing Pinna’s own querying glance, Basil played off his need by patting the contraption confidently. “You’ve already seen my pride and joy in action, it doesn’t do much else at the moment. As for my other tricks…” He rummaged in a pouch for a moment before pulling out a crudely sealed clay pot with a yellow stripe across the side. “This will take care of illumination if we lose the element of surprise. Now if only your supposed ‘Partner’ would only report back…”
     
    Pinna nodded in agreement, squinting off into the darkness as she leaned against the tunnel wall, crossing her legs as she waited. You were about to report in when you noticed Basil rocking back and forth from his seated position, tapping a staccato rhythm with his wide, neatly manicured fingers. You had a good sense of where Pinna’s bladder was at, but you found yourself curious about how the gnoll was handling his own postponed bathroom trip. Thankfully, bladder ping was at your beck and call, even as the damaged portions of your ethereal body shake and shudder under the flow of mana.
     
    Ability: Bladder Ping Level 5 on Basil
    Ability Roll: 100% Base – 20% (Curse of Decay x2) = 80% Total Success chance
     
     
     
    Despite the already impressive amount of pee he held, the gnoll seemed to be handling things just fine. Any other target would be dribbling by this point, but Basil seemed only to be slightly perturbed. You certainly hoped he wouldn’t make a beeline to the restroom as soon as you arrived at the village, but perhaps giving him an errand related to Raaka would prevent that. Grounding yourself back to the present, you opened a channel of communication with both of them and announced your return.
     
    Basil stirred, shaggy eyebrows quirking up in mild amusement. “Ah, the sprite of Omoania I presume? I’m afraid I can’t quite place her in the pantheon, even though I could have sworn I’d read that name somewhere recently…”
     
    “Probably off of that statue you were telling me about.” Pinna interjected with a wry smile as she switched her crossed legs again, tail lazily swaying behind her. “Apparently it’s one this little guy’s altars, but they haven't yet told me much about what it does exactly.”
     
    The gnoll only grunted and waved a dismissive hand. “For what its worth, it is very beautifully crafted statue. If your goddess and her followers are a friend to kobolds, that’s good enough for me. So what other news do you bring sprite?”
     
    Without any further ado, you described the beast ahead in as much detail as you could. To your relief, Basil grunted in recognition. “Thunder Jaw, and a mature one at that. It’s far too dangerous to leave near the village, especially with the kobolds preoccupied. Are you sure you’re still willing to assist with such a fearsome foe?” He asked, turning to look to the now stretching bard.
     
    You noticed Pinna wince and abort a stretch that would have spread her legs even as she enthusiastically nodded. “Can’t be worse than any of the horrors in the hells, and I’m not leaving without my lute. It wouldn’t hurt to grab some other loot as well, I can’t wait to see how much coin some bits from a thunder jaw will fetch me at the adventurers’ guild.”
     
    Basil chuckled at her word play before unfurling his crossbow once more. “I suppose I can’t begrudge you that. If I don’t kill it with the first shot, our best strategy is going for you to create an opening for me to land a bolt between its plates or on the head. Watch out for the lightning, though you’ll have a few seconds of warning before it shoots. Ready?” The tiefling nodded and covered her glow crystal. The three of you sat in darkness for a minute until the mortal eyes adjusted enough for them to slowly creep forward down the tunnel.
     
    The sinister clicking of the beast’s numerous legs soon filled the cavern as your party slunk forward. The faintest of light from further down the tunnel flickered as the thunder jaw’s sinuous form roved further, abandoning its planned ambush as it actively sought out fresh prey. Below you, Basil silently dropped to a crouch, steadying his aim as the thunder jaw paused, one end of it adorned with massive pincers standing straight up as it listened to the distant echos from the village ahead. The gnoll took in one final half breath and squeezed the trigger.
     
    The beast let out a wailing shriek as the bolt found its mark, the corridor ahead turning into a sea of writhing limbs. But as the motion continued, you distantly hear Basil utter a surprising vulgar curse from below as the thunder jaw’s unblemished head bent around its wounded tail, mandibles snapping in irritation as sparks once more flashed across the corridor. It had been an excellent shot, but unfortunately aimed at the wrong end of the centipede.
     
    Something whipped through the air inches from you as Basil’s clay pot shattered against the ceiling. Glowing white goop splattered everywhere, illuminating the coiled thunder jaw in all its horror as it ponderously crawled over itself to face the intrepid duo. As its beady eyes trained on the reloading gnoll, a small gout of hellfire harmlessly bounced off its armor as Pinna shouted from the other side of the tunnel. “Hey! Over here you overgrown insect!” The bard shouted, accompanied by a flurry of shrill notes that pelted the creature’s swaying head with tiny blasts of raw mana.
     
    Just as you were about to lend your own efforts to Pinna’s distraction, the thunder jaw simply shrugged her magic off. Possessing some degree of feral intelligence, the centipede remained focused on the backtracking gnoll, clearly realizing he was the principle threat. The mandibles clacked together as a low hum filled the corridor, a different light source sparking to life as tiny bolts of electricity coursed up its lengthy body. Pinna’s music broke off as she called a warning before slipping behind an outstretched pillar to safety.
     
    Even as Basil finally clicked a new bolt into place, he jerked his head up in alarm as the lightning reached the creature’s flat head. After a reluctant glance at the crossbow he held, Basil hurled the device between him and the thunder jaw before diving to the ground. A bright flash and boom filled the tunnel, momentarily blinding you as a wave of magic thrummed through you. Recovering swiftly thanks to your lack of physical eyes, you saw that Basil’s gambit had paid off, the metal hunk of his crossbow successfully drawing the lightning bolt to it, the weapon now glowing bright red and smoking as it rested in a newly glassed patch of sand.
     
    Still stunned from the force of the blast, you watched Basil struggle to his feet, blinking rapidly and massaging his tufted ears. The thunder jaw had no such hesitation as it surged forward, its long body wrapping tightly around the struggling gnoll as saliva dripped eagerly from its looming head. You cried out in despair, but were helpless to see how you could avert the tragedy playing out before you for what felt like the second expedition in a row.
     
    But even as all seemed lost, a new, fledgling music filled the tunnel. It was different from before, smooth and flowing in one uninterrupted river that washed over the combatants. Basil’s struggling slowed as even the thunder jaw paused, its head starting to sway in rhythm with the song. Turning around, you saw Pinna seated in her sheltered corner, pipes held in trembling hands as she weaved a calming melody. Noticing how the ambient mana was being redirected by the song, you leap into action, pulling in other patches of untethered magic to further amplify the effect.
     
    Boost Pinna’s music to increase the effects
    Influence Roll: 60% Base + 10% (Infl. Lvl 2) = 70% Total
     
     
     
    To your surprise, you took to the weaving almost naturally. You worked in tandem with the ebb and flow of Pinna’s melody, adding in new magic to the lulls and refining the shape of the spell during the swells in melody. You even felt your actions and minds begin to chime in on the beat, your whole being joining the calming sea the bard conjured. It was working too, nearly all of the aggression rapidly bleeding from the thunder jaw as its movements slowed to a crawl.
     
    As you danced past the still entrapped gnoll, you found that he was starting to succumb to the music as well. Despite the slackening grip of thunder jaw, he made no further efforts to free himself. If anything, his eyes seemed to be drooping as his head began to nod, a tired sigh slipping from his lips. That wasn’t the only thing slipping out as your keen ears pickup a sudden hiss from down below.
     
    Confident that the lullaby could continue without your aid for a moment, you squeezed between the thunder jaw’s coils to get a look at the gnoll’s lower half. As you eagerly watched, a tiny dark spot began to bloom on the gnoll’s trouser crotch. It spread quickly, the sharp tang of urine filling the air as Basil’s pants became wet and warm with his release. Still enraptured by the music, you heard Basil give a contented growl as pee ran freely down his right trouser leg and soaking the fur along his legs and footpaws. Even as you siphoned off raw energy for the silently delighted Omoania, you marveled that despite his protests otherwise, Basil was quite enjoying simply letting go. At least, judging by his slowly swelling and quite large member starting to tent his drenched trousers, his stream now visibly pushing clear of the fabric to sprinkle against the impassive chitin armor still enclosing him.
     
    That thought did jerk you back into the moment as even Omoania gave you a pointed shove across your link. The wetting of a potential recruit was certainly fun to watch, but you should probably make sure they still survived the encounter. Using your prior experience, you routed the lullaby away from Basil and toward the thunder jaw before snapping him back to full awareness with a polite mental shove.
     
    Basil snapped upright, cutting off what little remained of his stream as he did so. Shaking his head and grimacing at dismay at his accident, the gnoll still recovered quickly as he took stock of the situation. From her corner, you saw Pinna still playing, though her trembling had gotten worse and sweat beaded her brow from the effort. With a grunt, Basil succeeded in pulling himself free, warm urine still dripping from his garments as he balanced on the thunder jaw’s coils. Whether it was the sensation of liquid flowing on its skin or the general weakening of the spell, the centipede also began to rouse itself, mandible snapping rapidly as it began to stir once more.
     
    You saw the Basil’s gaze settle on his weapon, still dimly glowing red on the floor a short ways away. With a mighty leap, he hurled himself towards the crossbow, the motion finally breaking the thunder jaw free of Pinna’s melody. The gnoll landed with a grunt, sand clinging to his wet trousers as he scooped the crossbow up and hauled on the draw string. Ignoring the sizzling of the hot metal against his skin, Basil whipped the weapon up as the thunder jaw scuttled forward again. The crossbow fired and the creature’s head abruptly jerked back as the charred wooden bolt slammed up and through the weaker set of plating. The centipede's form hung in the air for an interminable second before dropping, Basil narrowly rolling out of the way as it crashed down, the hundreds of limbs finally laying still.
     
    Silence reined as the dust settled, the victors panting as they surveyed the immense corpse of the thunder jaw. A shaky laugh finally broke out as Pinna stumbled free of her corner, clambering over centipede to approached the stoic gnoll. “Oh wow, that was certainly something, I need to write a song about that fight. Especially with that final shot of your…” Pinna stopped, squinting in a dim light as she sniffed the air curiously. As one, both her and Basil glanced down at the gnoll’s very noticeably accident, the musky smell of his pee slowly melding with the tang of the thunder jaw’s blood as the last few drops fell to the sandy ground.
     
    Jumping up in alarm, Basil quickly pivoted away from the bard, a soft whine of embarrassment escaping his throat as he shifted his recovered crossbow to cover his half-tented crotch. It was hard to tell between the dim light and red skin, but you could swear that Pinna looked flustered as she bit her lip and averted her eyes, her own legs rubbing against one another in a pang of sympathetic desperation on her end. Ears tucked down, Basil awkwardly shuffled away until the stacked coils of the thunder jaw provided him with some measure of privacy.
     
    Deciding to break the silence, you congratulated both of them on a hard won victory over such a fearsome creature. To your surprise, Basil was the first to reply, though his mental voice was practically glowing with raw embarrassment. “...Quite right, though I should have taken a further moment to aim that first shot and avoided the whole fight to begin with. Pinna, if you do compose a song, I would appreciate it if you amended that part to be out of my control, as well as omitting the, uh,-”
     
    “Say no more.” Pinna cut in, speaking aloud and giving the gnoll an understanding smile. Ostensibly to give him more privacy, she drew her dagger and knelt by the thunder jaw’s head to begin working at one of its sizable mandibles. “It’s kinda funny though. I’m used to people rushing to the bathroom when I perform, though that’s pretty typical for a busy tavern regardless. It’s the first time I’ve seen my magic and music cause, well, that amount of leakage.” She paused in her butchering to knead a fist against her own groin, the lingering smell of Basil’s pee clearly enticing her body to a mutual release that she was actively suppressing.
     
    Basil snorted and you saw him picking at the dampened fabric while he inspected his crossbow for damage. “Bardic magic is certainly not something to taken lightly, though I fear my own stubbornness when it comes to bathroom usage may have contributed more.” Setting his crossbow down, Basil leaned forward over the centipede’s corpse and cleared his throat until Pinna met his eyes. “Allow me to be perfectly clear. While my clothing may disagree, this is by far the preferably outcome to the crisis we found ourselves in. You’ve saved my life, and I’ll be sure to repay that debt. No matter how many times I end up in soaked trousers as a result.” He added as a bashful afterthought, though you noted that only now did his penis start to soften with a covert adjustment with Basil’s free hand.
     
    Pinna smiled and inclined her head in recognition. “Well, that’s… Thank you Basil, though I don’t foresee demanding that particular repayment from you anytime soon.” Shifting awkwardly, Pinna busied herself with renewed hacking at the thunder jaw’s mandible before changing the subject. “So I can’t help but notice that this creature doesn’t actually have much of a jaw. And where did it come from anyway? This wasn’t on the guild’s list of likely encounters for the mesa.”
     
    Basil let out a brief keening laugh before stifling it. “I said much the same! But the kobolds were adamant and the name stuck. As for where it came from…” He turned, gazing at the lurking darkness behind him. “The villagers keep digging deeper. Sometimes they get lucky and strike a rich ore vein, or a buried chamber containing long forgotten altars from ages past.” He gave an acknowledging nod towards your general direction before continuing. “Other times… They find the reason why such treasures were abandoned in the first place.” With a mighty heave, Pinna finally pulled one half of the mandible free, holding it up and marveling at it as some residual electricity cracked across it. Basil watched on as well, though his expression was shadowed and worried.
     
    Any further debate was forestalled as the sound of multiple running feet echoed down the tunnel. “Basil! Basil, are you there!” A male voice called out in panic as the footsteps rounded the corner and slowed.
     
    “Thunder Jaw! Brace spears!” A second kobold voice cried out as the group skidded to a halt when faced with the shadowy outline before them. Swooping higher, you saw a small squadron of warriors illuminated in flickering torchlight, Pinna and Basil both hidden by the long coils of the slain beast. While most of the kobolds nervously clutched their weapons, a familiar red scaled warrior in half assembled armor rushed forward without hesitation to bury his spear deep between two plates with a fierce war cry. It was a heartening, if utterly useless display of bravery and comradery.
     
    “Aratu, it’s already dead, don’t go breaking your fancy spear on its corpse.” Basil called out, shifting lower to make sure his pants were fully covered by his own section of centipede body. “I’m back here, and the trespasser with me was instrumental in bringing it down.” He shot a wink at Pinna, alleviated a bit of the worry on her face as the kobolds started to scrambled over the body. Many of the relaxed spears immediately went back to readiness at at the sight of Pinna, but Aratu passed her by with barely a second glance as he strode over to Basil.
     
    Breaking into a toothy grin, the kobold warrior gestured to hallway at large. “Ha! When you said that you worried we were wasted food on this feast, I didn’t except you to go and kill an entire thunder jaw to compensate!” Basil manged an uneasy grin as Aratu slowed to a halt, concern flickering across his reptilian face as the gnoll remained in his half crouched position. “Hey, are you okay back there? Are you hurt or-” Basil shock his head and narrowed his eyes, shooting Aratu a silent but forceful glare that shut the red kobold up, even as he began to note the wet paw prints leading to Basil’s corner.
     
    Thankfully, the rest of the guards weren’t paying the exchange much attention, having instead fanned out to surround the peacefully surrendering Pinna. “Easy there, I come in… peace, as long as you’re not a giant, lightning spewing monster.” The tiefling assured before belated releasing she still held the curved mandible of the thunder jaw, which was clearly registering as a weapon by the guards. With an apologetic grin, she slipped it into her bag before again showing her empty palms.
     
    “She’s a traveling musician.” Basil supplied for his end of the corridor. “She’s here to barter her talents in return for an instrument taken by the harpy. And if that’s not enough…” The gnoll took in a deep breath and sagged his shoulders. “I would like to formally invite her to attend the feast as my personal guest. I was told, in no uncertain terms, that I would have a privilege of asking a female of my choosing to accompany me.”
     
    Basil punctuated his speech with another meaningful glare at Aratu. Despite the red scaled kobold now silently snickering to himself, he quickly picked up the cause on the gnoll’s behalf. “Some music would be most welcome, assuming the demon is up for it.” Turning to face the bard, the kobold surprised everyone by bowing low. “You have my sincere thanks for assisting my dearest friend in this tremendous battle. Follow our rules, and I will see that you are treated fairly.”
     
    Pinna let out a relieved sigh as the spears finally raised around her. As she immediately set out chatting up the still uneasy guards, you found yourself drifting over to Aratu and Basil, the kobold peering forward to catch a glimpse of Basil’s trousers. “What’s wrong Basil, did the thunder jaw take too long in the toilet hole?” He asked in a hushed tone, playfully ribbing the gnoll’s plight.
     
    Basil grumbled, but waved Aratu closer. “...Something like that. Do you think you could go back and fetch me a change of clothing? I should have some clean ones ready on the off chance I decided to attend tonight’s festivities.”
     
    The kobold nodded amicably, stamping the butt of his spear on the dusty tunnel floor. “Of course, I’ll tell them that you’re staying back to… study the corpse for a bit, that's a very Basil thing to do. And for what it’s worth,” He gave Basil a lopsided grin. “If you tire of the demon’s company, I still have a few females that are still asking about you…” The gnoll only grunted in response, ears tucked back as he shifted uncertainly.
     
    As the hastily scrambled patrol made to leave, with Aratu striding over to stand at Pinna’s side, some of your minds pointed out that there was something you had been meaning to ask Basil. Hanging back and reopening you link with him, you assured him that his deeds today should far outweighed any shame he felt. You feel him mulling over your words, a few more confused emotions vying for dominance before you continued. You mentioned that the harpy responsible for the theft of Pinna’s lute was likely at the feast, correct? At Basil’s affirmation, you continued that when you had last been in the village, you hadn’t seen any harpies hanging about. Was it possible she wasn’t invited after all? Or, perhaps, barred from entering entirely?
     
    [Non-Target] Tell Basil about Raaka’s plight
    Charisma Roll: 60% Base – 10% (Bardic Confidence) + 15% (Char. Lvl 3) = 65% Total
     
     
     
    The guards and Pinna were leaving, their torches slowly rounding the corner as they made the final leg to the village. In the battlefield still illuminated by the mysterious contents of Basil’s clay pot, the gnoll stood and began wiggling free of his soaked pants, exposing the damp fur below. “That… doesn’t seem right.” He admitted to you as he kicked the garment free and stretched. “The bard said she tracked the harpy here and I believe her. I know this harpy well, she wouldn’t pass on a meal like this. I wonder…”
     
    As he slid off his shirt and stood fully nude in the corridor, you couldn’t help but admire the gnoll’s well toned physique. Basil nodded to himself as you felt him reach a distant conclusion. “Alright, I think I know the guards on rotation for the upper balconies, one of them can be a bit too… territorial.” Running a hand through his impressive mane, Basil paced back and forth before sighing. “I still think this entire feast is a waste of our precious food, especially when we have threats like this coming up from below. But alienating our allies is still about the worst way to go about things. Once I’m decent again, I’ll ask around and see if I can get the harpy in, she might even know where the bard’s lute went off to.”
     
    Giving your thanks, you make to leave when Basil stopped you one last time. “Sprite… I’ve never quite bought into your kind’s reputation, especially since many of my younger years were spent learning about the wider world from your kin. But with your help here, it’s the first time I feel I own one of you more than simple gratitude. Speak to me again in the village, I’d be delighted to hear more about your goddess and what this altar is all about. And… Thank you.” A warm feeling bloomed deep in your heart as you acknowledged the gnoll’s words before closing the contact. Leaving Basil to his musings, you take off after Pinna, confident you now might have more than one person willing to activate the defunct altar for you.
     
    Returning to the village proper, you discover what can charitably described as complete pandemonium. The feast had begun and hundreds of kobolds populated both the main floor and the upper levels, each one with bountiful plates of stacked food and full cups of various drinks. The silent Omoania altar still sat in a prominent position around what seemed to be the most esteemed tables and place mats. You jiggled in joy as you noticed many of the nearest lizards all drinking heavily, though none seemed particularly squirmy in desperation at this time. Soon, you assured Omoania though your link, you’d find a way to reactive the altar soon.
     
    For now, you had to relocate your primary target. Standing a full head and half above everyone else, Pinna was by no means difficult to find. She stood in the center of a tight knot of mixed warriors and curious onlooker, with the elder Sage leaning on his staff before her. She was more obviously desperate at this point, dancing back and forth from one leg to another as she vividly described her lute to the assembled kobolds. The villagers either didn’t notice or chalked the tiefling’s movements up to nervousness considering Aratu and the rest of the partially armored guards still standing at attention beside her.
     
    As you approached, the Sage finally shook his head to Pinna’s visible disappointment. “I am sorry, but no such instruments have come through here, though one of the more reclusive kobolds might have bartered for it without my knowledge. Assuming the harpy even delivered it here in the first place, some of their trinkets they like to hold onto.”
     
    “Well, I’m sure it will turn up.” Pinna said, looking like she was attempting to reassure herself more than the assembled kobolds. Grimacing, she squeezed her legs tightly and idly fiddled with the clasp of her pants. “In the meantime, do you think you could show me where kobolds go to relieve themselves? I’ve been needing to go for awhile now and…”
     
    “You play music, yes? Play for us!” One of the onlookers on an upper level called out, bringing out a set of similar calls from the rest of the crowd. At the same time, many of the warriors squinted at the tiefling, their grips tightening on their weapons as they regarded her request with obvious suspicion. You contented bobbed in Pinna’s orbit, confident that her bathroom efforts were stymied until the crowd settled down somewhat.
     
    With the Sage’s helpless shrug, Pinna sighed and retrieved her pipe set from her belt. “I don’t know how well this will carry through out the chamber, but I can run a few ditties to set the mood. Can you get me a… larger chair or stool to rest on?” The Sage nodded as Pinna began, starting a non-magical variant of the same soothing tune she’d used to pacify the thunder jaw. A hush fell over the altar-adjacent section of the feast as Pinna’s music washed over them, many kobolds pausing in their merriment to listen with rapt attention. You listened as well, realized that with a few suggestions and fiddling on your part, you could conceivably use Pinna’s ballads to manipulate the general mood of the party.
     
    Speaking of bathrooms, it was time to see what you were working with. After some investigation, you find that the kobolds have a very…. rudimentary system in place. At periodic points and without much in the way of signage, some of the wall alcoves were designed as the village’s bathrooms. Which basically translated to a roughly hewn long sandstone bench with a set of holes dropping down into darkness. There were no individual stalls or even gendered divides as you observed several kobolds casually relieving themselves in close proximity to in several of the bathrooms. There was only a single curtain strung across the main entrance, and even those were drawn closed only half the time from what you saw.
     
    This was a new challenge for you. There was no plumbing to break, no doors to hold shut or anyway to really permanently close off the nearest two bathrooms that Pinna would likely use. You supposed you still could induce a line to block access for a time, but there wasn’t even a helpful fountain to getting the drip dripping stuck in kobold heads. If only you could manipulate water directly…..
     
    Well, Pinna was an outsider here, and the bathrooms weren’t particularly well signposted. If she made a desperate rush, you could simply mislead her for a time. Or keep the demand for her music going long enough to push her to true desperation. There still was the option to sabotage the clasp on her pants as well…
     
    You also took a quick stock of other possible targets. Basil was likely still getting changed, but would be back soon, hopefully with Raaka in tow. The harpy presumably still had Pinna’s lute, but getting it back to the bard might take some convincing. You also recalled Terra the kobold and you wondered if you could still of assistance to her.
     
    After a minute of searching, you located the emerald green kobold, who was sluggishly plodding along, evidently fatigued from her unfairly assigned laundry duties. Her plate seemed to have mostly fat and scraps from one of the boars and her cup only contained simple water. As she hunted for an unclaimed seat, you noticed her shifting with an unspoken need for the restroom as well. Her eyes darted to the nearest one and she even took a few steps in that direction as you watched. But out of the corner of her eye, she spotted the pink scales of Vis, the other kobold gossiping with a few of her fellow drink servers and pointing in Terra’s general direction. The green kobold’s nostrils flared in repressed anger as she diverted away from the bathroom, instead finally locating a quiet corner not far from Pinna to plop down and finally tuck in.
     
    You felt some measure of pity for the kobold, and you hoped some plan your minds came up with could help her out. Noticing her uneasy shifting as she ate, you also noted that her brief defiance over Vis’ gossip would only last until the other kobold was sent out with another round of drinks to serve. She would probably head for the bathroom by herself soon unless you stepped in. Adding it to your rather lengthy to do list, you settled into another meditation as you contemplated your next move.
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    So… Many… Criticals! We haven’t even needed the boost from Hope for the Best yet. I’m going to be honest with you guys, I have a sneaking suspicion that the back half of this expedition is hording all of our bad luck this time around. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
     
    Very sorry for the long gap in turns, I had quite a bit on my plate this last week. Final day for voting on this section will be Wednesday, March 20th. Until then, I hope everyone has a fantastic rest of the day.
     
    Global Scenario Modifiers:
    Defunct Omoania Altar – This former idol to your goddess sits dry and slumbering in its new location at the center of the village. If you succeed in filling the statue’s bowl with liquid, it will activate, hitting everyone in the immediate vicinity with a maximum level bladder push spell, as well as awarding you three bonus skill points.
     
    Target Modifiers:
     
     
     
     
    Sprite Modifiers and Abilities:
     
     
     
     
    Pinna’s bladder is currently at 78%
    Pinna is grateful for your help getting her safely to the village, and trusting that you’ll help her get her lute back
    Pinna does not yet trust you enough to activate the Omoania altar, but returning her lute will help
    Basil may be willing to activate the altar if you talk to him further
    Terra will start an argument with Vis if you create an opportunity near her
     
    Suggested Actions:
    Charisma
    [Charm] Compliment Pinna’s performance – 60%
    Encourage Pinna to come up with a ballad to win over the kobolds – 60%
    Encourage Pinna to cheer Terra up – 70%
    Mislead Pinna about where the bathrooms are – 65%
    [Non-Target] Chat with Basil to get him onboard with activating the altar – 60%
    [Non-Target] Encourage Raaka to give back the lute – 70%
    Conjuration
    [Levitate] Pull down Pinna’s Pants – 45%
    [Levitate] Pull Pinna’s lute free of Raaka when she arrives – 40%
    Spill Vis’s tray of drinks when she’s near Terra – 60%
    Tighten the waistline of Pinna’s pants – 60%
    Sabotage the clasp on Pinna’s pants – 60%
    Influence
    Cause Pinna to become thirsty – 50%
    [Temp. Flux] Cause Pinna to become hot – 70%
    [Temp. Flux] Cause Pinna to become cold – 30%
    Exhaust Raaka to make it easier for Pinna to get her lute back – 50%
    Shift the party to a jovial mood, increasing the drinks going out – 60%
    Shift the party to a calmer mood, increasing the traffic to the bathrooms – 60%
    Cause Pinna to become Aroused – 50%
    [Temp. Flux] Chill Vis to make her more susceptible to leaking while near Terra – 70%
     
    Available Abilities:
    Bladder Ping – 2/3 Charges Remaining (Specify Target)
    Bladder Numbing – 1/1 Charges Remaining (Specify Target)
    Bladder Push – 1/1 Charges Remaining (Specify Target)
    Hold off for now
     
  5. Upvote
    BlueRaven got a reaction from Blackb1rd in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    [Non-Target] Let Basil know Raaka is currently not allowed into the feast – 60%
    [Levitate] Pull out Pinna’s potions for her and Basil to drink – 60%
    [Use Ability] Bladder Ping on Basil
    Remember, use subtlety. Tell Basil we overheard the kobold village mention Raaka not being allowed to join the feast.
     
  6. Upvote
    BlueRaven got a reaction from Blackb1rd in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    [Influence] Cause Pinna to become thirsty. Don't assist her with fighting the lizard so she has a reason to use her magic and drink her potions.
    [Charisma] Make introductions and tell Pinna about an alternate route through the lower tunnels and lead her towards encountering Basil, a guard who knows the village and where to find water. – 60%
    Hold off on abilities.
    If she encounters Raaka now, she might grab her lute back and leave, and we need her to start the party. Better we guide her to our gnoll friend to later meet Raaka on the way to the village. Plus, if Basil knows Raaka, she might go there next without requiring an action.
    Also, no one knows where we have and haven't been, so we can always feign that we don't know where to find the harpy.
  7. love
    BlueRaven reacted to Blackb1rd in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    Final Target Vote:
    Pinna – 6
    Raaka – 4
    Basil – 0
    Terra – 3
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    After much deliberation, you decide that as the only complete outsider, Pinna the bard could probably use your unique brand of help the most. Though a large part of you yearns to say hello to Raaka again, you resolve to instead see what sort of progress the tiefling had made since you left her. Leaving the kobold village and the silent altar behind, you zip back into the labyrinth of gently sloping sandstone tunnels, eager to find the elusive tiefling.
     
    That turns out to be much easier said than done. With the kobolds having pulled back to the entrances of the village, the wild beasts of the dungeon were eagerly exploring the now liberated caverns. Several times you honed in on what sounded like a pitched battle only to find two or more monsters quarreling over some newly claimed territory. You began to worry about the tiefling’s safety in such a melee when you stumbled across something peculiar.
     
    One of the larger lizards was quietly snoring in one corner, its burnished copper-colored scales dimly glowing in a beam of sunlight. The beast was not something to be taken lightly, roughly ten feet in length from tip to tail and armed with a full set of rending claws and sharp spikes along its hide. The unusually viscous saliva dripping from the snoring creature’s ajar mouth also seemed to indicate a rather venomous bite to boot. Still, why was this one so content to snooze while its rivals prowled the greater tunnels?
     
    Scanning the nearby ground, you located a set of recent footprints in the dust, boots rather than the usual bare kobold paws. Elated to finally be on the right track, you follow the trail as it winds through the mesa, drawing steady closer to where the village sat. Straining your ears, you’re just able to pick up a soft whistling coming from around the next corner.
     
    Emerging into on the broader hallways that ran along the edge of the mesa, you at last locate Pinna, the bard contently whistling and humming to herself as she cautiously padded forward. Her set of musical pipes were still clutched in one hand, a canteen down to its last dregs in the other. The demonspawn’s pale red skin was surprising clear of sweat, which wasn’t surprising given where she had been born. A thin, whipping tail swung out behind her, gently swaying in tune with her current song as she slowly made her way deeper into the mountain.
     
    Pausing in her cheery tune, Pinna sighed and tipped back the canteen, shaking the longer stands of auburn hair out of her eyes as she did. You continue your slow orbit around her, taking careful note of her multicolored shirt, vest and trousers. Especially the trousers, as you note with some glee that they seem to be held in place with a sort of metal buckle. Oh, wouldn’t it be such a shame if that happened to get slightly askew and stick shut at an inopportune moment…
     
    Smacking her lips, Pinna lowered the empty canteen and tucked it unto a side pouch on her pack. “And that’s the last of that, unless I want to dip into my potions.” She muttered aloud, brushing some dust from her coattails as she checked over her shoulder. “Though with all the wildlife, there should be some sort of spring nearby. Actually…”
     
    Frowning, Pinna stepped to the far wall and stuck her head out of one of the smaller holes to the outside. Shifting alongside her, you notice that she’d succeeded in ascending to the level shared by the lowermost external platforms the kobolds had constructed on the exterior of the mesa. There actually was a intersection just ahead that would allow Pinna to get out onto them, though proper stairs between the levels were few and far between on the outside. You knew that Raaka and the stolen lute were just several platforms up, though reaching them would require a few short segments of free climbing to reach. Sometimes, you really wondered how mortals managed to get anywhere without the innate power of flight.
     
    “...This is definitely a kobold settlement,” Pinna mused, drawing your attention back to her. “So why haven’t the buggers shown themselves yet?” The tiefling drew back inside, grunting as her curved horns briefly caught on the edge of the improvised window. Carefully extricating herself, Pinna again checked the hall before setting off at a quicker pace. Following close behind, you just barely managed to catch her next words. “I mean, they may have stolen my lute, but I hope nothing on the same level as the oasis groves happened here too….”
     
    A sudden clang from ahead set both of you on alert. Dropping into a low crouch, Pinna swiftly covered the remaining distance to peek around the corner. Another of the spiny lizards stood squarely in the upcoming junction, its forked tongue tasting the air as it pawed at some discarded cookware. Noting the several sets of crude furniture and the ashes of a campfire, you realized that this was one of the recently recalled kobold checkpoints, and last guard rotation had done poor job cleaning up their scraps of their last meal.
     
    While currently preoccupied, the feral lizard was completely blocking the way forward, which Pinna noted with a disappointing hiss. “Damn, this one’s already on the hunt; lullaby isn’t going to work here. And I just got done with the new lyrics too!” She angrily whispered to herself. She still kept hold of her pipes, but you watched her free hand drop to the sheathed dagger at her belt. “This might get messy, but let’s wait and see if it sticks around first.”
     
    Sensing the Pinna was set to wait things out a little, you take stock of the situation. Despite the multiple empty canteens, the tiefling wasn’t yet exhibiting any outward signs of desperation. Your newly mastered bladder ping spell informed you that her bladder was sitting at around half-full and increasing steadily. Not that that couldn’t be further increased by making her thirsty or the outcome of the coming fight pushing her to use some of her potions…
     
    You also found yourself at a crucial junction in terms of navigating the mesa. Pinna was getting pretty close the village, and it wouldn’t be terribly hard for you to attract the attention of the guards from here. Doing so would cut down significantly on the whole sneaking charade since you doubted that kobolds were much in a mood to fight, especially once they found out about Pinna’s talents. At the same time, the way into the village led away from the exterior platforms where you knew Raaka and the stolen lute still waited, though fetching the harpy could always be done once you back in the village proper. Come to think of it, you could even encourage Pinna to backtrack a bit and try to get in through the lower tunnels where you were sure Basil was still patrolling. If the gnoll was truly concerned about the situation beyond the mesa, perhaps meeting someone from the outside would provide the necessary insight he sought.
     
    You found yourself at a true crossroads then. Of the other targets you’d encountered, who was it you most wanted Pinna to run into first? Perhapse more importantly, how could you best ingratiate yourself to this new target to ultimately convince her to activate the Omoania altar for the big finale? Silently observing the crouching tiefling, your minds begin their usual debates once more.
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    Pretty close vote for our primary target right up until the end. Even with a cumulative -50% on our Omoania abilities, the Raaka fan club came out in force. To which I say, don’t worry too much about Pinna’s ultimate victory, there will be multiple opportunities to bring Raaka into the fun ahead. Same goes with Basil or possibly setting up a holding contest with the help of Terra, though the earlier we get involved in any of those subplots, the more we can get out of them.
     
    A quick aside about general pacing for this expedition. The kobolds will be preparing for the feast a while longer, probably a turn or two before they get into the swing of things. There are absolutely options on the table that will get Pinna into the village as early as next turn, or we can take a detour to a secondary target and arrive when the feast formally starts. Where we go is all up to you, as well as the dice I suppose.
     
    And to answer @Ash’s question, no, the new passive for bladder ping is not effected by the curses of decay, Pinna’s current bladder stats are reported below near the suggested actions. It’s one of the reasons I was more on board with introducing the curses as a mechanic. Though with ping now becoming less of a first turn staple, perhaps I need to expand our ability armory further next level up…
     
    A pretty basic turn 1 all told, but this vote will be a good judge of where we want to concentrate our efforts this expedition. Final day for voting will be Wednesday, March 6th, and a quick how-to recap is below if you need it. Until then, a warm welcome to anyone new that just caught up to current and I hope everyone has a fantastic rest of the day.
     
    Voting Rules:
     
     
     
    Target Modifiers:
     
     
     
     
    Sprite Modifiers and Abilities:
     
     
     
     
    Pinna’s bladder is currently at 52%
    Pinna is currently unaware of your presence
    Pinna does not yet trust you enough to activate the Omoania altar
     
    Suggested Actions:
    Charisma
    [Charm] Compliment Pinna’s confidence and bravery in her solo infiltration – 60%
    Encourage Pinna to come up with a ballad to win over the kobolds – 50%
    Tell Pinna about alternate route through the lower tunnels and encounter Basil – 60%
    Tell Pinna about the route along the cliff face to where Raaka is waiting – 65%
    [Non-Target] Summon the kobold guards to escort Pinna into the village – 70%
    Conjuration
    [Levitate] Pull down Pinna’s Pants – 30%
    Distract the lizard to let Pinna slip past stealthily – 60%
    Assist Pinna in the coming battle against the lizard – 65%
    Cause a ruckus to lure the kobold guards to Pinna – 70%
    Sabotage the clasp on Pinna’s pants – 50%
    Influence
    Cause Pinna to become thirsty – 70%
    [Temp. Flux] Cause Pinna to become hot – 70%
    [Temp. Flux] Cause Pinna to become cold – 30%
    Influence nearby creatures to boost the effect of Pinna’s songs – 60%
    Cause Pinna to become Aroused – 30%
     
    Available Abilities:
    Bladder Ping – 3/3 Charges Remaining (Specify Target)
    Bladder Numbing – 1/1 Charges Remaining (Specify Target)
    Bladder Push – 1/1 Charges Remaining (Specify Target)
    Hold off for now
     
  8. love
    BlueRaven reacted to Pilly in How to keep Will happy and dry? Or wet.   
    This time we have to winners: Option 4 and 5!
     
    All he wanted to do was run away and pee himself in peace. At this point he was sure that he couldn't hold it until his break - he wasn't even sure he could reach the toilet.
    But even if his underwears were now slightly wet and he could feel tears in his eyes, he had to face the customers. So he slid one hand into his pocket and tried to grab himself discretely while he looked at the men with teary eyes.
    "We have the second volume over there" he answered even if his voice was now shaking just as his legs. "There will also be a... a th-third one" he moaned as a wave of desperation hit him again. He tried to hide the fact that he was holding himself through his pocket, but now the customers exchanged a glance.
    "Thank you" one of them nodded and he seemed to decide to let Will go, but somehow his anxiety reached that level when he wanted to prove his well-being - even if he was far from being well.
    "The third will be the last one and-"
    And that was it. Will could feel another spurt escape his penis and at the same time he had to choke a sob. 
    "Aaand this book will be awesome!" Emily stepped in and she started to talk about the book rapidly to distract the customers' attention.
    At the same time David touched Will's shoulder.
    "Come on, let's go" he whispered. "Em will take care of them, you can go to the loo."
    Will was really grateful to have friends like the two of them, but now he wasn't sure he was able to take a step without losing full control of his bladder.
     
     
    What should he do?
    1. Run to the toilet
    2. Ask David's help
    3. Let it go right there
    4. Freeze
    5. Sob into David's shoulder
     
    Break starts in: 1 hour and 21 minutes
     
    Stats:
    Will's bladder: 93/100
    Will's current state:    - anxious (it makes his need getting worse); until he pees
                                         - panicing (there is a great possibility of him losing partial of complete control of his bladder); until he pees
                                         - wet underwears (it makes his need getting worse); until he changes underwear
    Will's relationship with Emily: friendly
    Will's relationship with David: friendly and almost comforting
  9. Upvote
    BlueRaven got a reaction from Blackb1rd in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    Basil the gnoll. He's got the biggest bladder, and can provide the most liquid for the Omoania statue if we can coax him into joining the feast and start a holding contest. If the opportunity doesn't arise, he might encounter Pinna while patrolling which could be fun.
    If I had a second choice, Terra. Starting an Omoania holding contest's easiest with her, given she has a motive already for getting back at Vis.
    Raaka... while it'd be nice to at least say hi, our wounds make us have a 50% ability success rate with her as a prime target...
     
    Edit: To break the tie, I'm voting Raaka.
  10. Upvote
    BlueRaven got a reaction from Grady404 in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    Basil the gnoll. He's got the biggest bladder, and can provide the most liquid for the Omoania statue if we can coax him into joining the feast and start a holding contest. If the opportunity doesn't arise, he might encounter Pinna while patrolling which could be fun.
    If I had a second choice, Terra. Starting an Omoania holding contest's easiest with her, given she has a motive already for getting back at Vis.
    Raaka... while it'd be nice to at least say hi, our wounds make us have a 50% ability success rate with her as a prime target...
     
    Edit: To break the tie, I'm voting Raaka.
  11. love
    BlueRaven reacted to Blackb1rd in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    Final Level Up Vote:
    Charisma – 3(P) + 2 = 8 (1st Choice)
    Conjuration – 0(P) + 2 = 2
    Conjuration x2 – 0(P) + 1 = 1
    Bladder Ping – 2(P) + 3 = 7 (3rd Choice)
    Hope for the Best – 2(P) + 4 = 8 (2nd Choice + Coin Flip)
    Cleanse one Curse of Decay – 1(P) + 1 = 3
    Cleanse all Curses of Decay – 2(P) + 4 = 8
     
    Charisma Leveled Up!
    Level 2 → Level 3
    Charisma Bonus 10% → 15%
     
    Bladder Ping Upgraded!
    Level 4 → Level 5 (Max)
    Charges per Expedition: 3
    Gauges the target’s bladder fullness to the exact %.
    Usage: Any Named Character
    Bladder Ping now automatically triggers for the primary target at the conclusion of a turn for free. Pinging any secondary target still requires an ability charge and successful vote.
     
    Hope for the Best Achieved!
    Threshold for all critical successes raised by 5!
    Current critical success threshold: 15 or below on any action roll
     
    Final Location Vote:
    Mesa Cliffs – 8
    Oasis Groves – 0
    Grand Palace / Capital City – 2
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    The Mesa Cliffs were the final major mana hub you had yet to visit in this region, and the prospect of bringing another Omoania altar back to its former glory was just too tempting to pass up. Leaving both the shifting sands and hamlets of elven settlements behind, you sweep through the deep gorges of an immense canyon. The sheer faces of stone towering overhead all but take your metaphorical breath away. A dry river bed ran through the center of the main canyon, though the litany of shrub grass and aged cottonwoods indicated a sizable underground water source.
     
    Your destination at last comes into view. The primary mesa clove the canyon in two, easily towering above all its other contemporaries. Dozens if not hundreds of caves dotted the surface at all heights, each one a yawing entrance into the unknown. Many of the upper caves were connected with wooden bridges and platforms jutting out from the mesa, though they seem almost abandoned at the moment. You knew the location was a major kobold settlement, so where had they all gone?
     
    They had certainly spared no expense when it came to warning signs. The worn trail that ran besides the river bed had one every dozen or so feet. Despite sharing the same crudely painted and often misspelled lettering, the signs varied in complexity from simple X’s and creature skulls, to dire warnings of various beheadings, disembowelment, and… “A most grievous discomfiture and bewilderment upon those who trespass any further.” You actually had to double back and reread that one, noting the much more refined penmanship. Someone at the mesa fancied themselves quite the articulate scholar it seemed.
     
    Hushed whispers reached your ears from around the next bend and you hurry forward to see who else was braving the kobolds’ warnings. You instinctively flinch away at the first sight of a horned head and red skin, but quickly realize the figure’s auburn hair and colorful garb were stirring a more distant memory for you. Judging by the presence of an armored human and dwarf casually gazing up at the mesa without batting an eye at the demonspawn standing alongside them, you realize the woman was tiefling, the only accepted species of the infernal plane to inhabit civilized society. And the sense of familiarity was really starting to nag at you, you had to have run across this particular tiefling before…
     
    “With all due respect, Miss Pinna,” The dwarf spoke and recollection at last sparked within you. Pinna the traveling bard, last seen bartering for a bed on your first expedition in River Town. “We shouldn’t be this close by ourselves, the little lizards are extremely territorial. We’re fortunate they haven’t spotted us yet, but don’t crack a geode until you’re sure it isn’t a lurker egg.”
     
    The human gave the dwarf a perplexed look while Pinna only rolled her eyes. “Like hell I will. That blasted harpy made off with my prized lute, and I haven’t tracked her this far just to give in to some measly kobolds.” She grumbled, crouching down to rummage through her pack.
     
    The dwarf shrugged and motioned the human forward instead. Clearing his throat and mopping his brow of sweat, the sturdy man managed an understanding smile. “My friend is quite correct my good bard, the Mesa is most unforgiving to trespassers. I’m certain you’ve made more than enough coin this trip to afford a new lute in the capital. Or if it truly is irreplaceable, there are plenty of veteran adventurers willing to take a bounty.”
     
    He was only met with a fluting trill as Pinna stood back up, a set of well polished pipes held in one hand while she brushed the dust from her patchwork trousers with the other. Slinging her pack back on her shoulders, she jerked her head towards the mesa. “So, this dungeon, does it have any undead? Or magically animated guardians in general?” The pair of guards exchanged wary looks before shaking their heads slowly. “What about my dear demonic cousins, any of them?” The human visibly shuddered, but still shook his head no. “So, just some beasties, kobolds, and apparently a thieving harpy, correct?”
     
    “Yes miss, but you shouldn’t be so quick to dismiss them as a serious threat.” The dwarf interjected, tugging at his prodigious beard. “We simply can’t do much between the three of us, best head back to town for now.”
     
    Pinna only smiled. “I assure you master dwarf, I am not. But in all my travels, I’ve found that a cheery tune can charm even the wildest of hearts. I would, of course, welcome your continued aid, but I’ve heard both of you at the campfire shanty every night. Neither of you can hold a tune to save your life, which will, unfortunately, be a requirement moving forward. And besides,” She patted the sheathed dagger at her belt and you felt the faintest tremor of magic pulse through her gray eyes. “I still have some hellfire burning in my veins in things get out of hand.”
     
    The man signed and resolutely unclipped a half-full canteen from his belt. He offered it to Pinna, who eagerly knocked it back, the slightest whiff of alcohol filling the air. “Very well. If you’re truly set on this course, then I wish you good fortune and a safe return.”
     
    Smacking her lips, the tiefling tossed the now empty canteen back to the human. “I thought I told you, I don’t believe in good luck. I much prefer to make my own.” Turning towards the towering mesa, she gave a cheery wave over her shoulder. “Now don’t neither of you start worrying after me until at least next sunup. If you’ll excuse me, I have an instrument to reclaim.”
     
    The group separated, with the dwarf and human turning back down the canyon while Pinna stalked forward, slipping from bush to bush as she drew closer and closer to the stone fortress. You settle back, mulling over what you heard. If you recalled correctly, the bard was a hard nut to crack as far as targets went, but her planned method of infiltration was delightfully on brand. You hoped an accord could be struck with the dungeon’s residents that would prevent any unnecessary bloodshed. Though speaking of dungeon residents, the overheard discussion indicated a certain harpy was currently in the neighborhood…
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    As the tiefling slipped closer and closer to the mesa, you took to the skies once more. With nothing more than a few circling vultures, you realized Raaka was probably already landed somewhere. You were just about to start retracing your steps to her nearby nest when you spotted some motion on one of the upper platforms ringing the mesa. Zeroing in on it, you buzzed with excitement as you spotted the lean harpy standing on the edge, along with a pair of spear welding kobold guards.
     
    “Scaled One told Raaka four strips of meat, four!” The harpy spat, spreading her wide, rusty-red wings wide in an attempt at intimidation. Her clothes were significantly improved since last you saw her, the current set having been more recently torn down to Raaka’s barely modest preferences rather than the threadbare set you first saw her in. You settled down besides her, content to simply observe for the time being. You still felt the lingering blessings of some unknown god stir in Raaka’s aura, further stretching your connection with Omoania. Combined with the lingering damage from the sprite of Devitra, it would prove to be a more sizable hurdle this time around. Still, you were Raaka’s sprite friend, and you managed to succeed last time you met her without actually needing any Omoania powers.
     
    Surveying the balcony, you spotted a specially made pack overflowing with various knick-knacks laying between Raaka and kobolds. You also spotted what almost certainly was Pinna’s lute, sitting off to one side and apparently forgotten in the midst of negotiations. Directly beside the pack was an unfolded leather hide, three measly strips of jerky laid upon it. You may be a tad biased, but it seemed woeful compensation for the harpy’s pilfered goods.
     
    The kobolds were unfazed at Raaka’s display. An orange scaled bruiser stamped the butt of his spear against the wooden slates and snorted at Raaka, his iron armor clanging with the motion. “No, the price has changed, you will only get three strips today.” He decreed even as Raaka bristled with anger. “You should be grateful the Sage even bothers with this deal when all you bring is this… junk. And you dare argue for more?”
     
    The second kobold, a placid yellow female with a curling set of horns crouched low as she further inspected Raaka’s haul. “I’m sorry Raaka, we don’t have much food to spare at moment. We need most of it for the feast tonight.” She explained with a half shrug.
     
    The orange kobold shot the female a glare while Raaka visibly perked up. “Scaled Ones are having a feast?” She asked, eyes gleaming from beneath her short cut black hair. “Raaka would love to go to feast! Three strips is fine if Raaka can go to feast.” She blathered, taking several eager steps forward before the orange kobold intercepted her.
     
    “No harpies!” He growled while tightening the grip on his spear. “This feast is to celebrate the new relic to kobolds we found below. So only kobolds are allowed in!”
     
    The yellow female straightened, her own spear casually leaning on one shoulder. “That’s not true. What about Basil? He’s invited.”
     
    The other warrior waved a dismissive hand. “Basil is an honorary kobold, of course he’s invited.”
     
    “There’s also the redcap blacksmiths, were you planning to also force them out of the village while we eat?” The female countered, and the other kobold’s expression faltered. “And what about our tame slimes? Are we not planing to feed the scraps to them as usual?”
     
    “Raaka is fine with scraps.” The harpy cut in, shuffling incrementally closer to the nearby cave entrance. The female kobold’s snout quirked up in a smile at her antics before the orange kobold banged his spear once more.
     
    “No, she will make a mess of things.” He ordered, glaring at the yellow kobold until she finally looked away. Turning his slit reptilian eyes back to Raaka, he gave a final shake of the head and pointed to Pinna’s lute. “Take your meat and… whatever that weird wooden thing is and go. You can’t come to the feast, that’s final.”
     
    You could see the cogs slowly turning in Raaka’s head as she shifted uncertainly, looking out across the horizon. “…Scaled Ones short on food for feast, yes?” She asked, turning back to the guards. “Raaka is very fast flier, can go and hunt for some fresh meat. Or gather distant fruits from groves, things that would take kobolds many days to get. Enough to let Raaka into feast, yessss?” She smiled, though you couldn’t help but feel the grin was more predatory than pleasant as she stood on tip-talons over the orange overgrown lizard.
     
    “That would help…” The female muttered, but the other warrior only jabbed his spear threateningly as Raaka reluctantly backed away, a pleading whine peeling from her throat. Yet no pity could be found in the orange kobold’s eyes, his stance unwavering.
     
    Stopping at the edge of the platform, the harpy drew herself up to her full height. “Raaka wants to go to feast, and Raaka will wait as long as she needs.” She declared before folding her bird-like feet under her and plopping down defiantly. After a few moments, the guards only shrugged and retrieved the bag of stolen goods, returning to their post just inside the cave entrance. Sensing that an impasse had been reached, you consider what you had learned.
     
    If Raaka had been reliably trading with the kobolds, it did seem rather cruel to exclude her from joining in, a determination made more by the orange bully than any directive from the clan’s rulers. Especially if the statue the kobolds found was what you thought it was, then Omoania would never tolerate such discrimination. If you could find a higher-ranked sympathetic kobold, you were certain that Raaka’s could successfully barter her way in with just a few quick errands. Or, you thought as she stretched out to grab one strip of jerky in her claws, Raaka might be tempted to take matters into her own hands and try to sneak her way in. And if she was still practicing the rather unique sneaking technique you taught her, things could get very interesting indeed. As Raaka began munching on the meat, displaying an impressive level of flexibility in the process, you turned to the cave entrance before you. You’d done enough reconnaissance on the outside, it was time to head in.
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    It was not far to the central hub of the kobold village, but you decide to take a more circuitous route and see the rest of what the dungeon had to offer. Layer upon layers of twisting sandstone tunnels wind every which way, the mesa soon resembling an overly large anthill. And you saw more than a few “ants” stalking the halls. Twitching legs of abnormally large spiders lurked in dark corners, while quadrupedal reptiles the length of a wagon lumbered back and forth with tongues tasting the air for new prey. You even passed an oozing green slime slowly meandering its way through a series of tight squeezes. There were a smattering of kobold patrols as well, though it seemed most of their outposts had been recalled in favor of the feast. Yet further still you pressed, delving deeper and deeper into the newly excavated shafts far underground.
     
    In a place where sunlight was only distant memory, you spotted torchlight in the far distance. You hear the choppy, distinct chatter of a kobold ahead, a far deeper baritone rumbling out in response. With the village busy preparing, this was easily the most far-flung of the patrols you’d yet passed. Emerging into the light, you analyzed the pair you’d stumbled across, the junction only illuminated by a pair of torches wedged into the sand.
     
    Idling by one wall was a particularly muscular red kobold warrior, his armor one of the few made up of higher quality steel plates and his spear particularly thrumming with enchantments. A single pale scar cut vertically across the end of his snout, which was currently quirked in a smile at his companion. You slowly scoot back from the other towering figure, one that had to hunch to keep from brushing against the ceiling. Shaggy fur poked out of the cuffs of a rather stylish coat and trousers, an ensemble the clashed spectacularly with the mechanical monstrosity that apparently was the creature’s weapon of choice. As it leaned forward into the torch light, a mane of dark hair shadowed the rounded ears and surprising keen eyes of what could only be a gnoll.
     
    Any lingering impression of a savage beast immediately faded as the gnoll’s hyena face broke into a broad smile and keening laugh echoed through the caves. Words tumbled out between laughs as the gnoll struggled to contain himself. “HA-HEYAH… HEYA… Confound it Aratu, that joke is truly uproarious. Quite crude too, you would do well not to repeat it in more cultured company. Or at least save it for those with a less distressing laugh.” Still wheezing, the gnoll slapped his trousers as he subtly tried to stifle his laughter, his smile slowly ebbing.
     
    His kobold companion only grinned wider, chuckling along at the gnoll’s distress. “Come now Basil, you know I quite like your laugh. It brightens up these rather dusty mine shafts. And to be honest…” Aratu paused, wagging his eye ridges suggestively. “I can think of a few females back above that wouldn’t mind hearing it more either.”
     
    Having fully regained his composure, Basil sniffed doubtfully. “Your endeavors to once more push me into a new coupling are again noted. If I were to humor your efforts, what sage advice would our best warrior offer? Staring across the chamber longingly like you do with that green-scaled madam you’re always on about? What was her name again… Something with a T?” The gnoll teased, now matching Aratu’s grin from his own corner.
     
    It was the kobold’s turn to squirm. “Well, no, but…. That’s different, the ones I was thinking about would practically through themselves at your feet.” Basil turned away, gazing off into the darkness of the tunnel while Aratu pushed his point. “Look, just come with me the feast tonight. Have some roasted boar and rest for a bit, you’ve earned it.”
     
    The gnoll gave an heavy sigh and busied himself with the odd contraction he carried. “...Recent excavations have not only yielded ostentatious statues, but stirred up some slumbering horrors as well. Someone needs to maintain a vigil so the rest of the village can sleep easy.” He deflected, clearly uncomfortable with the topic.
     
    Aratu shook his head sadly. “I can name a dozen or so kobolds that actually deserve a stint down in these lower tunnels, if someone needs to be on watch. You think too much, come give that big brain of yours a rest. I’m sure the village would appreciate the company of its smartest warrior.”
     
    “And maybe we’d all be better off to thinking a little harder about our place in the world. Have you heard much of what’s going on beyond the mesa?” Basil countered and you perk up slightly in curiosity. Aratu blew him off, but Basil pressed on. “Even based purely on the frightened whispers of adventurers and our few esteemed residents that fly further afield, it sounds… bad to put it bluntly.”
     
    The kobold was hardly paying attention, eyes unfocused and roving, yet it did little to dissuade Basil, the gnoll evidently well practiced in long-winded ramblings. “The elves are marching again, gone to face a new monstrosity from beyond the dune sea. These beasts seem to be uniquely vicious, and should the pointy ears fail in their confrontation, do you think the monsters will simply pass our humble abode by? Or worse, should the elves prevail, do you not think that they will take the opportunity to also obliterate any other opponents in the region, such as our glorious mesa?”
     
    Basil raised a good point, and you find yourself quietly agreeing. You still hadn’t gotten to the bottom of the original threat that pushed the fauns of the Oasis Groves from their ancestral home. And some of your minds worried that it was not simply happenstance. Was a new demon invasion in the north truly the only scheme the minions of Devitra were attempting to bring to fruition?
     
    The red scaled kobold obediently nodded at Basil’s pause in inhale, his back turned and fumbling with the latches on the lower half of his armor. Once more pondering his weapon, Basil cocked his head in contemplation. “It almost makes me ponder the value of committing our own warriors to this coming conflict. Beasts cannot be reasoned with, but elves can, if one that overcomes their prejudices can be located. We could prove the mesa is something more than a measly dungeon, but a fellow community who’s traditions and sovereignty should be respected as an equal.”
     
    Basil looked up, his own blocky features brimming with newfound hope, only for his face to fall at the sounds of splashing water. Swiveling your own attention to the other end of junction, you give a little wiggle as you spot Aratu relieving himself against the wall, his half protruding shaft spraying a steady stream that trickles and splashes against the rock. “Aratu, is that really necessary?” Basil growled, brow furrowed as the kobold gave an exaggerated sigh.
     
    “Hmm?” Still minding his stream, Aratu craned his head back and gave the gnoll a lopsided grin. “What? You sounded like you were on a good tangent, and it’s not like everyone has your rather impressive capacity…” Aratu smirked as he wiggled his hips and tail back and forth, ensuring a good coating across the entire tunnel wall.
     
    Ears pinned back as the sound of lukewarm pee continued to fill the corridor, Basil shuffled uneasily. “I meant right here in the side tunnel. You know I’ve trying to set up designed restrooms down here for the simple sake of civility.” He scoffed, though you noted he still watched Aratu with an almost reluctant envy.
     
    With a mischievous glint in his eyes, you saw Aratu noticed as well. “And maybe you should loosen up a tad, my friend.” Still peeing freely, the kobold unexpectedly pivoted, directing his stream in the gnoll’s general direction. Piss splashed against one of the gnoll’s bare footpaws, dampening the fur there as Basil blinked in surprise. The kobold’s bladder finished emptying a moment later, leaving only a few random patters on the dirt flow to show for his efforts.
     
    Nose twitching as he scuffed his dampened foot in the sand, Basil looked up with eyebrows raised as Aratu refastened his armor. Stooping to pick up one of the torches, Basil only sighed. “I take it that break time is over then. Let’s continue on our way, there’s a few more junctions to check before you need to head up to your feast.” Slotting the torch into a designated cradle, Basil primed his custom weapon of destruction. With shriek of sliding metal, the contraption unfurled into a wide crossbow-like device, each individual bolt the size of a small javelin and with such weight and draw that only the gnoll could easily handle it. You almost felt a pang of pity for any hostile beasts that crossed Basil’s sights.
     
    After Aratu picked up his own spear and torch, the pair set off into the caves, the kobold once again resuming his attempts to lure Basil to the feast. You watched the lingering shadows of the duo yourself, considering the possibilities of the gnoll as a target. Even without using a bladder ping, you could tell he was currently unmatched for sheer bladder size among those you had yet encountered. A little shy and self conscious perhaps, but you were sure that you could coax him out of his shell a bit with a few swigs of whatever passed for alcohol here. And on a grander scale, he might be the key to leveraging the Mesa’s might for the greater good of the land. Realizing that you were hanging alone in a distant side tunnel, you pushed yourself back into action. You’d been putting it off for awhile and it was time to see what the main kobold village was all about.
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    Rising up from the deepest recesses of the mesa, its not terribly difficult to find your way back to the village. You emerge into a cavernous room, gazing around in awe at the bustling hub of activity. Midday sunlight streams in through dozens of holes in the far wall and ceiling, naturally illuminating the gentle curves of molded sandstone and buildings set up within the space. Various huts filled the chamber, both carved into the stone as tiny alcoves and free standing with what lumber the kobolds had to spare. The main chamber also supported several levels of housing, with platforms, staircases and bridges covering every spare inch of the upper walls. It was quite a sight to behold and you found yourself in admiration of the little lizards’ ingenuity when it came to their home.
     
    It was also packed to the brim with kobolds. Dozens upon dozens of creatures with a rainbow of scale shades and horns darted too and fro both below and above you. Several cook fires were already underway, each one roasting a slowly rotating spit of boar under the careful tending of the cooks, while others busied themselves with clearing space. Despite the daunting amount of work still to go, a jovial atmosphere pervaded, each kobold eagerly anticipating the festivities to come.
     
    The other aspect that immediately jumped out to you was the general state of dress. While the warriors and some of the artisans wore complete ensembles, many of the basic workers seemed content with far less. There wasn’t any full nudity per say, but underwear seemed the exception rather than the rule. Immodest flashes under skirts and loincloths were both frequent and broadly unremarked on. As you watched, a particularly amorous couple stumble away from the gathering into partially covered alcove, a throbbing erection already tenting the male’s shorts. Yet no one seemed to do more than chuckle and nod approvingly as the pair got busy disrobing, work continuing much as before with only the occasional pause to watch. It seemed as though the kobold definition of modesty and privacy was far more lax than the rest of the world you’d yet seen thus far.
     
    You were about to see if you could find this lost altar when you felt Omoania instead tugging you towards a darker corner of the room mostly devoid of kobolds save for one. This seemly forgotten individual knelt on the floor, a basin of water set before her. Her verdant green scales molted into the shadows, while her straight and pointy black horns stretched back from her flat head and gentle features. Dressed only in a basic, ruffled worker garb, the kobold scrubbed a bundle of fabric against a basic washboard as if it had personally insulted her. Judging by the two tall piles of what appeared to be bedrolls on either side of her, one damp and folded and the other dusty and crumpled, it seemed as though this unfortunate kobold had been assigned the rather lonely task of laundry duty. This seemed oddly out of place compared to other feast preparations, and most decidedly unfair given that she was the only kobold not being helped by any others.
     
    As the green kobold reached for the next set of sheets, the already dim sunlight in her corner darkened further as a second kobold strode over. The newcomer was another female, this one with rosy pink scales and slightly downward curved horns. Despite being dressed much the same, the pink kobold had an arrogant air around her that you took an immediate disliking too. “Well, look at little Terra, so hard at work. I hope the wash water is the only thing your getting those bedrolls wet with.” The pink kobold taunted, a vicious smile exposing her sharp fangs as she lorded over Terra, while you experienced sudden clarity as to why Omoania had directed you over here.
     
    Snarling, Terra surged back to her feet, but before she could lash out, a third kobold stumped over. Terra’s words died on her lips as she instead bowed her head, the motion mirrored by the pink kobold a second later as a older male with faded red scales drew up to them. He wore a sweeping brown robe with many different seemingly random trinkets decorating it at periodic intervals. A curled wooden staff partially supported his weight, a purple crystal dimly glowing in at the tip. Shifting his wizened eyes from one kobold to the next, he slowly turned to glare at the newcomer. “Vis, I trust you are not still giving Terra a hard time over last night.” He spoke in a creaking, scratchy voice, that left no doubt in any of your minds that he knew Vis was doing exactly that.
     
    “Of course not Sage. I am just checking up on her progress.” Vis politely replied, though she tilted her still bowed head slightly to hide the smirk playing around her lips.
     
    The Sage looked thoroughly unconvinced, but turned as Terra cleared her throat. “Honored Sage, I am glad you came by.” She began, her tone respectively if a little hesitant. “While I do not dispute that I should clean my own sheets after last night’s… Incident, needing to wash all of the block’s bedrolls seems just the slightest bit-”
     
    “Unfair?” The sage finished and Terra bobbed her head in a quick nod. Vis’ scowl deepened as she watched the exchange, loitering on the edge of the conversation before taking a step forward.
     
    “It’s only right that she clean it all Sage.” She proclaimed, drawing out a low growl from Terra. “There’s no telling which other beds might have been dirtied by her rather undignified wetting.” Sticking her nose high in the air, Vis let out an imperious snort. “Although this situation is tad unfair, I suppose. If this problem is going to repeat, perhaps Terra should be relocated to the hatchling’s quarters so the rest of us don’t have to deal with her.”
     
    Both you and Terra were about to object, but the Sage beat you to it. “Enough!” He called, his raised voice drawing the eyes of all nearby kobolds as well. “You have made your position abundantly clear Vis. Aren’t you supposed to be preparing the drinks for the feast?”
     
    With both the Sage’s tone and the staring eyes of the other kobolds upon her, Vis faltered before dipping a polite curtsy. “Of course Sage, I’ll get back on that.” With one last smirk at Terra, she turned to leave, tail lashing back and forth as she stalked away.
     
    Terra and Sage watched her go, though neither fully relaxed until she was out sight and other kobolds resumed their duties. With a defeated sigh, Terra sank back to her knees, staring deep into the murky tub. “Please Sage, don’t move me back with the hatchlings. I swear last night was a one time occurrence, it won’t happen again.”
     
    The elder kobold rumbled deep in his throat, gently scratching at the smaller scales under his chin. “I will do no such thing young Terra. Though I most confess that it is most odd something like this happened without any obvious provocation…”
     
    Terra’s brow knitted together and she hesitated for several seconds as though seeking the proper words. “I don’t… exactly have proof Sage, but I don’t think it was random.” When the red kobold motioned her to continue, Terra fitfully bit her lip. “It’s just… I confess that it was odd that Vis was the first one awake this morning. She’s usually the last to rise, and I can’t help but feel my accident was entirely a coincidence. She also seemed rather chipper serving the drinks last night, especailly when she handed me mine.”
     
    “A pretty serious accusation to be sure, especially after how much of a fuss Vis made this morning.” Sage noted, though he kept his tone neutral. Gazing over the pile of still dirty bedrolls, he let out a sigh. “I know you were hatch-sisters with Vis, but perhaps this a sign from the gods to reconsider your friendship with her. Finish what you have here, and I promise there will be no further tasks for you tonight. You should be able to enjoy the feast with everyone else.”
     
    “Thank you Sage.” Terra nodded, but Sage only tapped his tail patiently, evidently expected further questions that the green kobold eventual elaborated on. “It’s just… If the gods sent this message to stay away from Vis, why am I the one being punished? Especially if she did have a claw in things as I suspect?”
     
    The elder sucked in another slow breath. “I know not child. The gods are fond of placing many burdens upon us, and they care little for the fairness or comfort of such burdens bring. All a kobold can do is shoulder them as best they can and keep marching forward.”
     
    The younger kobold nods, but you feel Omoania stir in silent objection. Terra should have been comforted and aided, not shunned and buried with unjust chores. Yet you maintained your silence as the Sage finally wandered away with Terra resuming her scrubbing. You lingered over the kobold a little longer, considering the rivalry and how Omoania’s powers could be used to set things right. Clearly, Vis needed a taste of her own medicine, and you were sure Terra would jump at the opportunity. Or maybe you could persuade the kobold into making a spectacle of it, perhaps with an Omoania-specific contest of sorts to truly settle the matter…
     
    Still buzzing with possibilities, you resume your travels through the village, one part of you mulling over the many possible targets while the other part kept an eye out for the altar. Some of your minds soon crowed in triumph and the full of your attention focused back to the gleaming marble statue set before you. Slightly smaller than the human and elven figures you normally saw, the altar of Omoania was, naturally, modeled after a female kobold. They knelt in servitude, the usual bowl held above them in apparent worship. The statue was completely nude and exquisitely carved in all the intimate details, though this had done little to prevent the kobolds from displaying it proudly in the center of where the feast was meant to be held. A small set of stairs leaned against it, a single worker eagerly polished the upper half of the statue as others gazed upon it curiously. It was clear that although they adored it, none of the assembled lizards truly knew what they had before them.
     
    You hovered in close to the statue, half expecting it to spring to life as the others had. Yet the statue remains silent and dormant, Omoania just as distant as before. Stretching your senses out, you felt the tremble of long suppressed divine energy lingering deep within the stone. After pondering on the issue a while longer, you at last realized what was missing. All the other altars had methods to slowly fill the proffered bowls with liquid, which acted as a sort of power source for Omoania to use when you reincarnated. But this altar, both in the previous tomb and in its current location, had not a single drop to spare.
     
    Your minds flickered through several possible methods to rectify this grave deficiency. Yet the kobolds hadn’t left any easily spillable barrels on the levels above for you to tip over. You could do it the old fashion way, but levitating one small cup at a time would take awhile and be easily spotted by any number of passersby. At last, you admitted defeat, knowing that like the demon portal last time, you would need to recruit a mortal to act on your behalf. This presented its own snags, as a random sprite requesting such an odd favor would only be met with scorn and suspicion. You would have to earn some trust first by helping them with their own goals before they would hear you out. Well, except maybe for Raaka, but she would need a way into the feast to begin with. And when the altar was reactivated….
     
    You experienced a sudden vision, the proximity to the dormant altar giving Omoania enough strength to communicate more explicitly. Whether it was the distant past or a possible future, you watched as scores of kobolds sudden doubled over and clutched at themselves, several immediately loosing control of their bladders as the altar sent out a far more powerful version of your bladder push spell in all directions. The vision ended just as suddenly as it began, but it had been more than enough to wet your appetite. With all the drink that would be flowing for the feast, you couldn’t think of a more perfect scenario to activate this particular magic bomb. If you pulled this off, every mesa resident would soon know Omoania’s name.
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    Global Scenario Modifiers:
    Defunct Omoania Altar – This former idol to your goddess sits dry and slumbering in its new location at the center of the village. If you succeed in filling the statue’s bowl with liquid, it will activate, hitting everyone in the immediate vicinity with a maximum level bladder push spell, as well as awarding you three bonus skill points.
     
    Target Selection:
    Pinna the teifling bard, braving the monsters of the dungeon to reclaim her stolen lute
    Bardic Confidence – This target is snarky and skilled in speechcraft. -10% to all charisma actions.
    Unyielding Holder – This target cannot be forced to leak
    Raaka the harpy, here to barter some goods and hoping to join the kobold village’s upcoming feast
    Boon of the Gods – Omoania abilities have an additional -30% success modifier
    (Slightly) Weak Bladder – This target can only reliably hold their bladder to 95% capacity
    Previous Target – Your last adventure with this individual has left you better attuned to their individual quirks and aura. +5% to all action rolls
    Basil the gnoll, a well-read individual fiercely loyal to his adopted village and patrolling the lower tunnels
    Steel Bladder – This target can reliably hold their bladder to 120% capacity
    Self Conscious – This target is unwilling to voluntarily relieve themselves anywhere but a bathroom
    Terra the kobold, stuck doing the village's laundry and nursing a grudge against fellow kobold Vis while feast preparations continue
    Cold-Blooded – Temperature changes affect this target twice as much, with warmth always inducing thirst and chill putting additional stress on their bladder
    Seeking Divine Guidance – This target is more open to spiritual advice, +10% to all charisma rolls
     
    Sprite Modifiers and Abilities:
     
     
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    Ah, the kobold village at last. It’s gone through quite a lot of revisions in my head, but this environment and characters were among the first ideas I had when I started this interactive. You can also look forward to some far lower stakes this time around. I may have a fight or two against some wild beasts depending on the route, but this chapter will primarily have some good old Omorashi fun, along with some special opportunities we haven't yet had access to. ;)
     
    Two things of note to get out of the way. First, the “bounty” I placed on successfully activating the altar is meant to cover pretty much all of the secondary target skill points and I likely won’t award additional points unless we sufficiently mess with them outside of the altar’s activation. No double counting in other words. The second thing to pay attention to is that Terra is the only target that currently has guaranteed attendance to the feast. The others will need some cajoling, bartering, sneaking or ingratiating to the kobolds in order to join in, though I promise there will be ways to draw the other targets within altar range no matter who we choose as the primary.
     
    I quite like the new level up voting system, I think I’ll be keep that moving forward. Once again, it’s time for the easiest vote to make and tally, the final day will be Friday, March 1st. We’re also moving at slightly more relaxed pace as far as updates go, but I still adore sitting down to work on this story. As always, thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fantastic rest of the day.
  12. Upvote
    BlueRaven got a reaction from Blackb1rd in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    1 point for bladder ping, 3 points for charisma, 3 points for conjuration, 2 points for cleansing one curse of decay.
    If DeVitra is unavoidable and a necessary part of the winds of change, we shall bear one of her wounds.
    Mesa Cliffs.
  13. Upvote
    BlueRaven reacted to Grady404 in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    Clear one curse (primary)
    Conjuration ×2, which will get us the next buff
     
    Mesa cliffs
     
     
     
  14. Upvote
    BlueRaven reacted to Keita123 in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    Cleanse all curse (primary)
    Hope for the best
    Grand Palace
  15. Upvote
    BlueRaven reacted to KyrenA in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    Clear all curse levels, and Hope for the Best! 
    Let's also go for Mesa Cliffs. Imagine if we can persuade someone to tend to that defunct altar to Omoania...
  16. Upvote
    BlueRaven reacted to JYMS2 in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    - Hope for the Best (primary)
    - Clear both curse levels
    As for the location, let's go for the Mesa Cliffs - I'm interested in seeing what we can do with an altar, however defunct. Perhaps we could encourage some more... organised worship?
  17. Upvote
    BlueRaven reacted to warham1995 in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    i suppose that is true, 3 for charisma, 1 for bladder ping, 5 for hope for the best, mesa cliffs
  18. Upvote
    BlueRaven reacted to Red31299 in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    Upgrade charisma and bladder ping
    Sucks we'd have a point leftover with this but meh maybe it can go to Hope For The Best dunno
    Clear 2 stacks of curse

    Cliffs
  19. Upvote
    BlueRaven reacted to XxAbthedevxX in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    3 for charisma, 1 for bladder ping, 5 for hope for the best 
    Grand Palace/Capital City i look forward to the foreign dignitaries has lots of potential for creativity 
  20. Upvote
    BlueRaven reacted to Bismiris in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    5 points for Hope for the Best
    4 points to cure the purple sprite's blight
    Mesa Cliffs
  21. Upvote
    BlueRaven reacted to ash_pikachu in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    1 for bladder ping, 4 to cleanse all current curse of decay, 3 for charisma
    Mesa cliffs we must find the alter
  22. love
    BlueRaven reacted to Blackb1rd in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    With soft whisper and puff of ambient sand, you reemerged into the mortal plane once more. Your normal exuberance is immediately overshadowed as an unexpected pang of agony shoots through you. Grappling with the foreign sensation, you swivel your attention inwards to see what was wrong. To your horror, the darkened scars inflicted by the purple sprite had also reincarnated on your latest ethereal body. Mana pulsed though the spots like molasses, and where there had once been a handful of fellow minds, there was now only deathly silence. Whatever magic the sprite of Devitra wielded, a simple trip back to Omoania’s domain was not enough to cleanse it.
     
    “My poor little squirt!” Turning, you see the currently elven form of Omoania crouching down on the altar’s pedestal to inspect you. You give the usual cheerful bob at her approach, but neither you or her were quite feeling it today. The statue reached out a marble hand and you settle down onto it as Omoania cradles you close and gently caresses you. “Oh my poor precious sprite. It’s alright, I’m here.”
     
    You give her a comforting buzz and enjoy simply basking in her undivided attention. You notice that the statue is shifting slightly in evident discomfort, the lack of a puddle on the sandy floor letting you know she hadn’t yet released the liquid accumulated by the altar. As you muse about how you wanted your goddess to loose control this time, you become aware of her directly prodding at your damaged sections.
     
    “Looks like between the two of us, we prevented it from spreading any further.” Omoania muttered, the statue’s eyebrows knit in concentration. “I hate to say it little squirt, but fully fixing the damage is going to require you to forgo some of my boons. There’s simply no other way.”
     
    Putting your other lewder thoughts aside for the moment, you shift to properly gaze up at Omoania’s serene face. Tentatively, you ask her which god Devitra was in the greater pantheon. The statue’s jaw reflexively clenched before Omoania let out a sigh. “So, that purple punk actually spoke to you this time? I suppose you’ve garnered its full attention, given how much work you squandered in aiding the destruction the demon portal. And who knows, maybe you’ll even be able to turn Lilith and her brood fully to your side next time around.”
     
    You pressed the original point, sensing she was being deliberately evasive. Omoania quirked an eyebrow at your impudence, the first hints of a smile touching the corners of her mouth. “Alright alright, little squirt, if you insist. Just let me get a little more comfortable…”
     
    Allowing you to float back into the air, Omoania detached the statue’s bare feet from the pedestal and and swung down until she was seated upon it instead, the elven robes gracefully draped around her. Crossing her legs and rocking back and forth, Omoania rested her chin on a clenched fist. “The first thing to understand little squirt, is that the beings you and the mortals refer to as gods are both many and varied. Not even the greatest among us are acquainted with everyone, and most are content to simply monitor their own domains and disciples. Though we do tend to congregate around those with a similar nature to us. You’ve already met Aphrodia, the most powerful among us in the lust cabal that I call home. Though I did recently have the pleasure of talking to Nurina the Healer on account of you helping one of her favorites in a time of great need….”
     
    Sensing your impatience, Omoania got back on track, crossing and recrossing her legs as her fidgeting became more pronounced. “Right, Devitra. She’s a principle corner of what the mortal would call the dark gods. She is the lord and ruler of decay, her own magic unparalleled in the art of unmaking, as you’ve now felt first hand. I’ve never had the displeasure of meeting her, but all of us know her intimately. She is the one present at the end of all things, such is her duty.”
     
    You digest the new information with an acute unease, a fleeting shadow of the dark god lingering in the dark recesses of your own minds. Shivering, you swivel back to Omoania just as the statue looked to be brushing her dress aside and scooting to edge of the pedestal. New fury bubbles up from somewhere deep inside as you demand to know why the rest of the gods hadn’t yet banded together to utterly crush such a threat to, well, everything?
     
    Startled by your outburst, Omoania slid back with a squeak as your words reverberated through her. But rather than agreeing with your suggestion, she only frowned and shook a disapproving finger. “It’s not like that, little squirt. And don’t you dare take such a tone with any god that isn’t me.” Shaking her head like a disappointed mother, Omoania pressed both her hands between her legs as she struggled to find the the correct words.
     
    “Devitra is… a lot of things, but there’s good reason she wields the authority she does. Mortals would likely agree with your calls for the destruction of a so-called dark god, but you would not recognize the world you create in doing so. It would be free of the pain and devastation you seek to avert, yes, but also the kindness born out of sympathy. The strength gained as one rises from a great fall, or the beauty only achieved through thousands of discarded canvases. It would be a perpetual world, one cursed never to be touched by the winds of change again, and you would spend the rest of eternity regretting what you did.”
     
    You ponder this for awhile before reluctantly conceding the point. Yet if Devitra was immutable, why was her loyal sprite so intent on chasing direct harm? Come to think of it, how did she get sprites in the first place? Didn’t that entail at least some devotion on the part of mortal beings?
     
    Your barrage of new questions was punctuated by a terrific sigh from Omoania and the sudden gush of water. Turning back, you watched the faux-pee sprayed out across the pedestal, immediately growing into a broad puddle the made a number of smaller waterfalls as it spilled over the edge. The elven statue shivered and twitched, Omoania’s face one of uninterrupted bliss as her legs and butt became completely soaked from the overflow. As the water began to slow and the drips became more intermittent, she let out a shaky sigh and inspected the damage. “Sorry little squirt, I held on for as long as I could. Guess I could still use some more practice for next time. Though you’re partly to blame for this with how many boons you’ve earned of late….”
     
    You’ve received 9 Skill Points!
     
    Skill Point Breakdown
     
     
     
    The influx of power was immense and you nearly buckle under the weight. Your minds begin to race with all the new possibilities, even as you also gingerly feel the damage done by the sprite of Devitra. Was it so pressing to take care of now, or could you struggle by for the time being while improving the rest of your stats by a great deal more?
     
    Besides you, Omoania steps back onto the dais, picking the statue’s bowl back up from where she had set it. Shaking herself off, she gives you one final smile. “I know you have more questions, but I think that’s a story for another day. Let’s put aside these matters and have some more of our unique fun with some unsuspecting mortals. If you see anyone familiar, give them my best regards.”
     
    Somewhat miffed by her putting you off, you nonetheless give an affirmative as the statue freezes back into its usual pose. Tending to the matter of your new skill points, you eagerly wonder what adventure awaits you this time.
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    You have 9 Unspent Skill Point, choose attributes and abilities to level up. Skill points may be saved until later, but you may only level up at an altar of Omoania.
     
    Attributes – The sprite equivalence of basic stats. Leveling an attribute will make actions based in that attribute 5% more likely to be successful. Leveling attributes will also unlock new basic actions or buffs for that category. Each successive level will require one additional skill point to achieve.
     
    Charisma – While a majority of sprites prefer to stay invisible and silent, your duties may be aided by directly communicating with your targets or bystanders. You will speak to them as telepathic voice in their head, which they can sense and respond to. Charisma actions include using this method of communication to deceive, build rapport, and persuade targets to do actions they normally wouldn’t consider.
    Current Level: 2
    Current Charisma Bonus: 10%
    Skill Points needed for next Level: 3
    New Charisma Buff unlocked at Level 4
     
    Conjuration – Through immense concentration, sprites can use their mana to cast minor spells to affect the physical world. Spells cast in such a manner primary focus on nearby inanimate objects as they cannot affect living creatures. Conjuration actions include spilling water, tripping someone up, or holding a door shut for a short period of time.
    Current Level: 2
    Current Conjuration Bonus: 10%
    Skill Points needed for next Level: 3
    New Conjuration Buff unlocked at Level 4
     
    Influence – Sprites that deal more closely with living creatures are born with a more innate sense of the body and can influence various biological processes or reflexes. Influence actions include causing a target to feel thirsty, changing their perception of ambient temperature, and even inducing intense arousal.
    Current Level: 2
    Current Influence Bonus: 10%
    Skill Points needed for next Level: 3
    New Influence Buff unlocked at Level 4
     
    Abilities – As a sprite in service to the goddess Omoania, you can tap into more unique spells that belong to her domain. Spending skill points on abilities will unlock and improve their functionality for your expeditions. These abilities can only be cast a few times per expedition, so use them wisely. All ability charges will be refreshed whenever you return to an altar of Omoania. New abilities, as well as upgrades for the existing abilities, will be unlocked as you gains boons from Omoania and spend time in the world.
     
    Bladder Ping – The most basic of Omoania’s gifts, this ability will allow you to approximate how full the bladder of your target is. Upgrades include addition charges per expedition, more accurate scanning, and the ability to ping nearby non-target individuals.
    Current Ability Level: 4
    Current Ability Effect: The Bladder Ping is usable twice per expedition and will tell you your target’s precise bladder level. This ability can freely target any named character
    Ability Level Up Effects: At the end of every turn, bladder ping will automatically report the primary target’s current bladder level for free. Pinging a secondary target will still require an ability vote and charge. Maximum Possible Upgrade Level.
    Skill Points Required to Level Up: 1
     
    Bladder Numbing – Learned from watching mortals put off their needs for longer than advisable, this ability provides a numbing sensation that temporarily lessens the target’s urge to pee. This ability does not affect the bladder fill rate or amount, and the effect will end prematurely if the target leaks or stresses their bladder. Upgrades unlock increased duration, effect, and targeting.
    Current Ability Level: 3
    Current Ability Effect: Grant the Bladder Numbing ability. Able to be freely targeted on any named character. Usable once per expedition to make the target feel as though their bladder is 20% emptier for a short time and is more resilient to early dispelling
    No additional upgrades available at this point in time
     
    Bladder Push – This ability creates a brief, sudden impulse on the target’s bladder that can cause leaks if their bladder percentage is past a certain limit. If used under the limit, it will weaken the target's muscles and make them more prone to leaks later. If used over their reliable holding limit (100% default), this ability can cause a full wetting, allowing you to time such an occurrence for maximum effect. Upgrades will both unlock free targeting and lower the threshold for leaking.
    Current Ability Level: 2
    Current Ability Effect: Grants the Bladder Push Ability. Usable once per expedition and causes the target to leak if they are over 80% capacity. Able to be freely targeted to any named character
    No additional upgrades available at this point in time
     
    Mastery Abilities – As you grow more accustomed to this plane of existence, you may instead choose to channel your new power into more general mastery of magic. This can allow you to better tame the wild surges that result in criticals, improve the efficiency of doubling down on actions, and eventually allowing you to increment success chances by the number of minds in agreement.
     
    Prepare for the Worst – By bracing yourself against potential mana surges, you can better mitigate the outcomes of failure to all your actions. While this ability can never prevent outright failure, it can ensure that less negative consequences are incurred.
    Current Ability Level: 1
    Current Ability Effect: Passive ability. Once achieved, this will permanently decrease the threshold of critical failures by 5. Only action rolls of 95 or greater will become critical failures. Rolls between 90 and 94 will instead become regular failures. Maximum possible upgrade level.
    Maximum Possible Upgrade Level Reached
     
    Hope for the Best – By increasing your observation of ambient mana, you’re better able to take advantage of your surroundings. Whether it be a pocket of arcane energy to boost your efforts or an additional insight to a person’s thoughts, this ability can lead to unexpected successes.
    Current Ability Level: 0
    Current Ability Effect: None
    Ability Level Up Effects: Passive ability. Once achieved, this will permanently increase the threshold of critical successes by 5. Any action roll of 15 or lower will now treated as a critical success. Stacks with any other potential modifiers to critical success chance. Maximum possible upgrade level.
    Skill Points Required to Level Up: 5
     
    Cleansing Curses of Decay – Your last encounter with the minions of Devitra have left a number of lingering scars on your immaterial being. For each Curse of Decay afflicting you, there is a -10% success modifier to your Omoania specific abilities. Basic action rolls are not affected. Curses of Decay can be purged at any altar of Omoania for 2 Skill Points each.
    Current Curses of Decay inflicted upon you: 2
    Cost to cleanse 1 Curse of Decay: 2 Skill Points
    Cost to cleanse all current Curses of Decay: 4 Skill Points
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    Zipping out of the shaded hovel where the altar was hidden, you’re nearly blinded in the blistering sunlight already beating down from on high. Cruising up to your usual scouting altitude, you marvel that this day in the desert was already going to be scorcher, all the better for someone drinking a bit more than they should. You survey the land, pondering if you’ll see a familiar face today. Alana, Leanne, Sierra and Vanir’s party ought to be in the vicinity of the Oasis groves where they were hopefully helping Sierra’s faun tribe and the elven army. It also has been quite awhile since you last thought of Raaka the harpy, she might be found in either the groves or the mesa cliffs near where her nest was. Omoania distantly chimes in, telling you not to be so quick to discount the capital city as your destination, since she has it on good authority a loyal devotee from the far north recently arrived there. With all the possibilities at your finger tips, you found yourself indecisive as to where to head next.
     
    Mesa Cliffs
    Tall rock spires jut out of canyon not far from you, the high walls providing sparse shade to the mostly dry river bed below. Your attention is drawn to the sides of one of these cliffs heavily pot marked by numerous cave entrances. Some of the higher caves even have a rudimentary set of walkways spanning the gaps between openings. You catch a brief glimpse of a scaled hide slipping into one of the upper caves. Paired with a slew of crudely spelled warning signs marking the path up from the river bed, you can surmise that a thriving kobold village has made this dungeon their home
    Further excavations by the kobold village have broken into a number of chambers long sealed off from the surface world. In addition to bringing newfound prosperity and a haven to all civil monsters, your goddess smugly informs you that one of the salvaged treasures is a defunct, but still functional altar to Omoania...
    High Monster Population, Low Adventurer Population
    Oasis Groves
    The entirely of one horizon is taken up by endless sweeping sand dunes, but in between lies a vibrant patch of greenery. A number of oasis pools stretch for several miles along the border of the desert. Numerous roads loop through here as travelers stop to refresh before or after making the dry and arduous trek across the surrounding sand blown expanse. On the other side of the coin, there are sure to hidden grottoes and untamed groves that hide many secretes and dangers for those who dare to brave them.
    Continued raids by the new breed of monstrous scorpions have continued to ravage the groves. The elven army appears to be in the midst of constructing a new fortress to prevent further incursion into the kingdom. The faun village has also relocated nearby by, an uneasy truce with the elves apparently preferable to the new beasts and outlaws now occupying many of the larger pools.
    Equal Populations of Monsters and Adventurers
    Grand Palace/Capital City
    Almost beyond your sight, you can just make out a grand city shimmering as though a ephemeral mirage. Or more accurately, you can see the majestic towers and parapets of a majestic palace that towers over the rest of the buildings. Clearly the capital of which ever country you’ve found yourself in, your mind races with the possibilities you could find in such a lap of luxury, authority and intrigue. The rest of the city spreads out gracefully, from the busiest market squares to the shadowy side alley where unsavory characters lurk
    Sensing an impending boom due to the recent troubles in neighboring nations, merchants from overseas have tripled their imports, with the capital serving as a central market. This has led to both a boom of foreign dignitaries attending the palace, as well as a resurgence in the criminal underbelly out in the slums.
    Low Monster Population, High Adventurer Population
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    So many skill points, we had quite a windfall last expedition by my reckoning. But most importantly, I’m modifying how we do the level up voting. For the level up, everyone now has a single Primary Vote and an unlimited amount of secondary votes. The Primary Vote is the one option you most want to unlock, while your secondary votes are how you wish to spend the remaining points after that. When it comes to the final tally, Primary Votes will be weighted twice as much and will act as a new metric for which way I should resolve a tied vote. If you don’t specify a Primary Vote, I will assume it is whatever level-up option you put down first. With the exception of clearing all curses of decay, your Primary Vote can only count to one level increase of an attribute or ability, any multiple levels are counted as secondary votes. If all of this sounds too complicated, feel free to just chime in with your preferred upcoming location, that still works as normal.
     
    As usual, a big thank you to everyone that stops by my neck of the website. I’ll answer some points the regulars brought up in the last comments, but I’ll hide it in a spoiler tag. Final day for voting on this section will be Sunday, February 25th. Until then, I hope everyone has a fantastic rest of the day.
     
     
  23. hearts
    BlueRaven got a reaction from Blackb1rd in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    Thanks for another amazing, fun chapter! 
    We at last know our adversary, the sprite of DeVitra. Now that we know our adversary has a name, knowledge is power, and we can research them. With that being said, it might be interesting to find a scholar as our next target. An omoania-enjoying scholar we're familiar with, perhaps. 
    Feel free to use the multiple target dungeon crawl idea or any of the ideas I've posted before for inspiration. We've ran into a lot of adventurering parties, so it could be fun to see a crossover between Cirice & Mira, Aria & Roy, Sierra & Alana's party, Preta & Marion, and perhaps even Fiona the merchant as well. 
    I have noticed a difference in engagement between target votes and the actual chapter posts as well. Usually a surge of votes for one target option, then maybe another, then it's down to ~3-5 consistent votes during the story chapters. Minor issue, but that doesn't mean this thread hasn't been getting recognition.
    Looking forward to more chapters, though I understand wanting to bridge out. You don't have to write one work, writers ought to be as creative as imagination allows.
  24. cheer
    BlueRaven reacted to Blackb1rd in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    Suggested Actions:
    Charisma
    Come up with a solid strategy for the party – 0
    Give Mira confidence and determination – 1
    Encourage Cirice to persevere and be strong – 0
    Assure Nyma that she’s doing the right thing – 0
    [Sacrifice] Bluff that you and all your sprite friends are going for the crystal – 0
    [Non-Target] Convince Lilith to pee in a corner and catch her off guard – 0
    Conjuration
    [Levitate] Pull down Mira’s damp Panties – 0
    [Levitate] Lock and seal the other door – 1
    Assist and protect Mira – 0
    Assist and protect Cirice – 0
    Assist and protect Nyma – 0
    Engage the purple sprite directly (DD) – 2
    [Sacrifice] Attack the portal crystal directly – 0
    Influence
    [Temp. Flux] Cause Lilith to become cold – 0
    Improve the mana efficiency of Mira’s next spell – 0
    Stoke Cirice’s rage – 0
    Hamper the mana efficiency of Lilith’s next spell – 0
    [Sacrifice] Manipulate other demons into attacking the crystal – 0
     
    Ability Vote:
    Bladder Push (Lilith) – 3
    Hold off for now – 0
     
    *Heads up, new longest chapter ahead. And two epilogues this time, just because I felt like it. ;)
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    Slightly nervous about the coming conflict, you reenter the sitting room to be greeted with raised voices. Cirice and Nyma were arguing animatedly, the succubus repeatedly extending an expectant hand only for the werewolf to growl and clutch her heavy mace even tighter. Moisture still dipped from the wolf-cursed woman’s urine soaked legs, but the lingering embarrassment did little to curb her indignation. Off to side, Mira watched the exchange silently, awkwardly shifting back and forth in her own stained robes and rummaging in her pack as if debating a clothing change. Hurrying over to her, you asked what the fuss was about.
     
    “Oh, welcome back, Sprite of Omoania.” Mira replied, gazing up in your general vicinity. “I feared that you had departed once you got what you wanted from Cirice and me.” There was a slight reproach in her voice, evidently it hadn’t been terribly difficult to piece together your exact purpose based on the circumstances. You hesitated only a moment before reassuring her that you were still dedicated to seeing her back to safety. At the same time, things like her accident were where you inevitably drew your strength from, so did it really seem that bad a trade?
     
    Mira only gave her head a rueful shake, but listened intently as you relayed what awaited you in the throne room. The devil Lilith, the portal crystal, and the hostile sprite you suspected was close by. The priestess frowned at the last part, a quizzical expression on her face. “I can understand why a rouge sprite is so concerning for you, but I don’t quite see why you are so adamant about neutralizing it.” She admitted. Her expression wavers slightly as her gaze drifts back down to her arguing companions. “Though, I suppose you’ve managed to affect a great many things all by yourself. Hmmm, I’ll keep a true-sight charm running, but Lilith and any other demons are going to be a more immediate threat.”
     
    It was comforting that the priestess took your warning about the sprite seriously, but it was looking more and more like dealing with that threat would fall solely on your shoulders. As you continued to brood, Mira bravely stepped forward between Cirice and Nyma. “Our sprite friend has confirmed that Lilith is currently alone, though it doesn’t discount the possibility of more demons, or hostile sprites, intervening. We need to act swiftly before a general alarm is raised, and I trust in Nyma’s plan.” She dictated steadily to the rest of the party. Twirling her staff horizontal, she proffered it in offering to the succubus.
     
    Cirice grumbled further as Nyma accepted the staff before letting her mace sag to the floor. “I formally reserve the right to say I told you so, if we’re still alive in the next few minutes.” She said, reluctantly tilting the half of the mace so Nyma to step over and accept. In return, Mira fished a bottle of fire resistance out of her pack and pressed it into the werewolf’s now empty hands while Nyma uncoiled her whips.
     
    As Cirice let out a fit of coughing over the spicy potion, Nyma stepped towards the imposing doors and spun to face them. “Alright, if this works, there won’t be much of a fight to speak of. I would say to change your clothes…” She smirked at Mira’s yellow stained robes until the priestess blushed and looked away. “But I think this makes it look more realistic. Now, hands out in front, and try to match the same expressions of utter despair you had when fighting me.”
     
    The adventurers exchanged one final glace as they complied. Two of Nyma’s whips sprung to life, slithering forward until they wrapped tightly around both Mira and Cirice’s wrists. The final whip coiled around their weapons, lifting them aloft with a slight red glow of Nyma’s magic. As the pair of faux prisoners obediently lowered their heads in submission, Nyma turned back to the doors. “Now, let’s say hello to my dearest Lilith.”
     
    Rearing back, Nyma kicked the double doors wide open and strode into the room, adventurers and weapons weakly limping behind her. Bobbing up behind the succubus, you saw Lilith bolt upright from the throne, alarm flickered across her face as she noticed the two soggy prisoners. But as Nyma predicted, the devil relaxed and let out a laugh as she took in the confident greater demon leading the procession. “Nyma! What’s all this?” Lilith asked playfully from the raised dais, her fangs glinting with reflected light from the pulsing crystal. Your keen eyes noted how she shifted back and forth, as well as the slight bulge in the midriff as she attempted to casually walk down the stairs to meet the group. If the sneak attack didn’t work, at least you could be sure your magic would.
     
    “Oh, the usual.” Nyma replied, strutting seductively towards Lilith while subtly angling closer to the crystal. “I heard that we had someone new in the dungeon, so I thought I’d see if they were willing to… play with me for a bit. She certainly is a cutie.” Nyma feigned a giggle as she cast a look back at the pair. Cirice had a permanent snarl on her lips, while Mira blinked in surprise at the unexpected compliment.
     
    Lilith’s footsteps increased as she moved to join her lieutenant, and Nyma was forced to prematurely halt the party early as she continue weaving the lie. “Imagine my surprise when the little priestess had not only escaped, but sprung the wolf as well. They were making mincemeat out of the new spawn when I finally caught up. As you can see and smell,” Nyma smirked as she tugged both Mira and Cirice into kneeling. “Facing down a greater demon literally scared the piss out them.”
     
    Lilith cackled gleefully, though you also noticed her fidget at the mention of peeing. “So I can, so I can. Nyma,” Lilith paused, a shadow of regret crossing her features as she brushed her ash gray hair aside. “I know we fought last time, but it truly warms my hellfire to have you back at my side.” The devil took another tantalizing step closer, and you see both Cirice and Nyma tense, ready to spring. It looked as though they would actually pull this off without needing your help.
     
    Even as you spoke the words, you felt a chill settle over you. High above, a glob of darkness detached itself from the shadows and moved into the light. The purple sprite lazily drifted downwards, its bored gaze shifting from one party member to the next. As it turned to you, the sprite abruptly halted and you felt a distant shock of recognition from it. With a sense of dread, you realized this wasn’t just another sprite serving the same dark god, it was the exact same sprite you had previously tangled with. Its movements now quick and alert, the purple sprite darted toward Lilith and you felt something pass between them.
     
    The smile on the devil’s face froze and you watched Lilith active a true-sight charm to look up you. “That’s not one of your usual sprites, is it Nyma?” She asked as she took a step back, suspicion plain on her face as one of her hands reached back the grip one of her twin short swords.
     
    “I could say the same.” Nyma replied, also dropping the comradery with her own yellow eyes boring into the purple sprite. “And I must confess Lilith, I do not trust the coloring of that loathsome specimen.” You prepared for retaliation at Nyma’s words, but to your surprise the purple sprite simply turned and left, zipping clear though a broken window into the now overcast afternoon. It didn’t seem like the purple sprite to give up so quickly, and you remained on guard for possible flanking attacks.
     
    Back in the main throne room, Lilith sidestepped around to firmly place herself between the party and the portal crystal. “Nyma,” The devil said, her voice low and dangerous as stared the group down. “For all these years, you’ve been my most reliable demon, the one I always respected and could turn to in confidence. Which is why, even if those feelings clearly aren’t reciprocated, I do feel the need for one final warning. Whatever it is you think you’re doing-” Lilith flared her bat-like wings and drew her short swords with a flourish, their steel a vibrant crimson that sparked and flickered with demonic hellfire. “DON’T.”
     
    Nyma closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath while Mira and Cirice nervously watched her from behind. “...I did always think the same of you Lilith. That you were my trusted friend, and selfishly perhaps, something more. Which is why I also feel that I have an obligation of my own.” With a flick of her wrist, Nyma released her whips as Cirice and Mira both scrambled to retrieve their weapons and ready themselves. “That being when my friend is hellbent on fucking things up, it’s my duty to knock some sense back into them.”
     
    Before anyone could make the first move, a earthshaking roar filled the room. Hesitating, all five pairs of eyes swiveled the other set of closed doors to the throne room as a cacophony of smashing and panicked shouts sounded from the other side. As you pondered whether to check things out, the doors all but exploded into a shower of splinters as a hulking shape charged through. Stumbling to a halt, the tyrant bellowed again, swinging its obsidian sword in frenzied circles that clove entire sections of stone from the rooms walls and floor. To your horror, you spot the small shape of the purple sprite hovering between the tyrant’s horns, raining down shot after shot of scathing purple energy at the bewildered beast. As steaming hot blood tricked down its face, the tyrant’s beady eyes fell on the four people standing in mute shock. You could almost see the primitive train of thought reach the intended conclusion as the tyrant stomped its feet and readied its club-like sword.
     
    “Fucking sprites!” Nyma swore, but the battle had already commenced. With a powerful flap of her wings, Lilith shot across the throne room, twin blades pointed directly at the distracted succubus’ heart. She was intercepted by Cirice’s mace, only narrowly avoiding the spiked ball, although the impact of the weapon’s shaft was enough to send the devil pivoting away. Long steams of hellfire sparked from Lilith’s blades as she stabilized, each one lashed against the unarmored werewolf. To Lilith’s shock, Cirice shrugged on the hungering flames, with what little damage they caused quickly healed up by the steadfast Mira a few paces behind. With a wolfish grin, Cirice charged after Lilith with Mira at her heels, while Nyma split off to divert the rampaging tyrant.
     
    Above it all, you watched the purple sprite lurk, taking in the entire battle from on high. You could feel its calculating gaze flicking from party member to party member as they fought, cynically seeking the prime moment to undermine them and give Lilith the upper hand. Not this time, you steeled yourself, drawing all your remaining mana to you. Raising your voice in a mental shout, you called out the purple sprite, telling it in no uncertain terms that you were its designated opponent this time.
     
    You feel only cold amusement at your challenge, yet the purple sprite breaks off its pursuit to loop back around towards you. Quick as a flash, it hurls several lances of purple mana at you, which you dodge and retaliate with a burst of your own power. The purple sprite weathers your storm, but you can feel its interest becoming piqued as it focuses solely on you. Your minds unified in determination, you readied yourself for the next volley.
     
    The pair of you danced back and forth across the throne room as the battle raged below. You darted between the stamping legs of the Tyrant as Nyma struggled to pacify it with whip cracks, bolts of seeking purple energy close behind you. A few moments later and you were hounding the purple sprite into thinner and thinner boxes of mana while hellfire and smites rained all around you. It was becoming apparent that the purple sprite’s magic was far more suited for combat, as it kept throwing out increasingly complex patterns of mana to weave through. Your own specialty magic was tragically limited to certain biologic matters, but you didn’t give up. You knew that you just needed the right edge, the perfect opportunity, and you could bring this duel to a close.
     
    Engage the purple sprite directly
    Conjuration Roll: 50% Base + 10% (Conj. Lvl 2) + 10% (DD) = 70% Total
     
     
     
    You fought valiantly, pressing every last advantage you had. Yet the purple sprite’s ability to rip apart your attacks and constructs was proving too much to hold back. You tried to box it in again, seeking only a short moment to recover some of your stamina. The purple sprite pulsed with a miasma of sickly light and your magic falls to pieces. Before you could recover, the purple sprite channeled its ambient energy into a single shining bolt that rocketed at you with unnerving force. You attempt to the dodge, but you were just a hair too slow as the bolt sinks into your core.
     
    Pain. You’d never felt the sensation before, but you knew instinctively that this was what mortals would call pain. Not just any pain, but a writhing, burning sensation that ate you inside and out, that seemed intent to tear you apart piece by piece. Several of your minds cried out in agony before falling to deathly silence as the wave of destruction pushed further, intent to consume your entire being until there was nothing left.
     
    Yet you were no ordinary sprite. You were the sprite of Omoania, the sole vessel of her divine will and you were not going to go away that easily. Rallying your remaining minds, you pushed back against the rot, aided by your own force of will and what little extra energy Omoania could push to your from the other side. Just when you feared it wouldn’t be enough, the purple energy slowed and finally halted. It sat there, a still smoldering scar on your very core that weighed on you heavily.
     
    You have been inflicted with a curse of decay!
     
    Shaking off the last of your pain, you scanned the room for your adversary. The purple sprite had left you, evidently thinking it had dealt you a mortal blow. You caught sight of it hovering close to Mira and Cirice as Lilith lashed out with a flurry of sword strikes. The devil had shifted strategies and was trying to work her way around to the more vulnerable priestess and thus cut off the source of healing. Cirice was blocking her, finally using short, swift swings of her mace to keep Lilith at bay without exposing herself, but the effort was keeping the werewolf on the literal knife’s edge. And with growing horror, you saw the purple sprite making ready to hobble Cirice with more of its slicing magic.
     
    Mira was too focused on the devil, and Nyma was still dancing around the tyrant some distance away. A memory surfaced, that of Preta stumbling and faltering against an onslaught of spells that you failed to stop, all while the purple sprite reveled in the destruction. Fortune had saved you that day, but you had vowed it wouldn’t happen again. You expect Omoania to object to the new plan forming in your minds, but she doesn’t. You instead feel her pushing even more energy at you, and praying, actually praying, that you would succeed. Bolstered by her support, you draw your last dregs of mana to you, forming them into a single shining spear of yellow light before diving at the purple sprite.
     
    It sees you coming, and despite the surprise, it simply hurls another shot of purple mana your way before returning its attention to Cirice. The purple sprite must have expected you to dodge or otherwise disengage, but you instead take the blow head on. The pain again racks your form and a few more minds wink out, but you’re quicker to cauterize the injury this time. By the time the purple sprite realizes its mistake, you’re already on top of it, driving your own spear of mana deep into its core.
     
    You have been inflicted with a curse of decay!
     
    Despite everything, you feared that your best efforts and sacrifice wouldn’t be enough. Yet to your immense relief, your magic attacks the purple sprite’s core with the same voracity as it did you. Your rival broadcasts equal parts panic and pain as it spirals away from you, leaking copious puffs of raw energy as it tumbles away. The burn of your own injuries slowly fades away and you stand victorious though scarred over the battle.
     
    “Cirice!” A terrified scream wrenches you out of the moment and you whirl back around to the combat. One of Lilith’s swords was buried deep the werewolf’s gut, as both her and Mira started in horror at the still quivering blade. Before the wolf-cursed woman can react, Lilith spun around, releasing the first sword as her second raked across the werewolf’s chest in a spray of blood before unleashing her magic. Bathed in a torrent of hellfire, Cirice staggered back and fell, her mace clanging loudly the floor as the werewolf lay still.
     
    Mira was halfway through a healing incantation when Lilith rushed up, effortlessly picking the priestess up by the throat with her now free hand as she drew her still dripping blade back for a fatal thrust. Some last spurt of pee slipped out unnoticed from beneath the priestess’s robes, doting the floor as her legs kicked desperately at the unyielding devil. Nyma was too far away, currently busy attempting to choked out the tyrant from where she rode atop its massive shoulders. Realizing this was your chance, you zip forward and hit Lilith with everything your bladder push spell has to offer.
     
    Ability: Bladder Push Level 2 on Lilith
    Ability Roll: 100% Base – 20% (Curse of Decay x2) = 80% Total Success chance
     
     
     
    The spell was… difficult. As the mana flows through you, the parts damaged in the fight with the purple sprite are sluggish and resist the flow of power. Thinking quickly, you reroute the spell through the more intact portions of you and breath a sigh of relief as it fires off successfully. Above you, Lilith falters, her confident smirk vanishing as she gasped in sudden panic. Though barely audible over the stomping of the tyrant, a slight hiss briefly sounds out as devil’s bladder relaxes enough to soak her leathers with a spray of scalding hot pee.
     
    “N-no, not now.” Lilith whispers, screwing her eyes shut as she attempts to stem the flow through sheer force of will alone. She’s only marginally successful as another spurt squeezes out of her, the damp patch around her crotch growing larger as the first drops of pale, steaming yellow begin to race down her legs. Purple in the face from the lack of oxygen, you notice Mira start to swing back and forth in the devil’s grip before lashing out with a final kick. Her aim strikes true as she hits Lilith’s belly, right on top of her overfull bladder. The devil sucks air through her clenching teeth as she releases Mira to instead jam a hand between her legs. As the priestess gasps for air on the floor, you watch Lilith’s knees bend together as a several second burst sprays out, absolutely drenching her tight leather clothes and seeping through her fingers to drip to the stone floor below.
     
    Yet her incapacitation was only momentary as Lilith stemmed the flow and turns furious eyes back down to the prone form of Mira. “Just for that, I’m going to make this nice and slow.” Lilith taunts, flicking the pee from her fingers as she stalked forward with sword raised.
     
    “Hey… Devil!” Lilith, Mira and you all look up at the shout. From across the hall, you watch the tyrant collapse to its knees, weakly pawing at the iron grip of Nyma’s legs around its windpipe. But it wasn’t the succubus that called out as your eyes darted to the discarded demon blade in a pool of blood to the winding trail leading away from it until you come to Cirice. Grievously wounded and with fur still smoking in places, the werewolf stood apart from everyone before the portal crystal, mace already high above her head as she sneering back at the stunned Lilith.
     
    “You said…. You wanted me to join you and smash up thing, right?” The werewolf wheezed, grinning despite the blood trickling from the corners of her mouth. “Well… I accept. Let’s start with this.”
     
    “NO!” Lilith shouted and leaped for Cirice, but the mace was already descending. The protective wards only providing the briefest of delays, the spiked ball slammed into the top of the blood-red crystal. The air in the throne room contracted and expanded with explosive force as the crystal detonated in a blast that sent Cirice cartwheeling through the air. The werewolf slammed into the far wall near the throne and slumped, her mace embedding itself besides her as it sparked with furious red lightning.
     
    Across the hall, you watched Nyma struggle up from the immense pile of ash that used to be the tyrant only to be driven back to her knees by bolts of painful red energy. Lilith was still streaking towards the cradle when the blast hit her full force. With a scream of pain, she collapsed and convulsed on the floor as the energy danced across her body. Any remaining control completely ripped from her, Lilith’s bladder voided, pee spraying everywhere as the devil wet herself. Her tights and boots squeaking with moisture, Lilith dropped first to her knees and then prostrate, her own urine soaking into the upper half of her armor as she lay twitching in the steadily expanding puddle. With one last shudder, you felt the devil slip into blissful unconsciousness as the storm subsided. You normally detested causing wetting through injury or pain, but after another glance towards the shallow breathing of badly injured Cirice, this time felt somewhat warranted.
     
    Something small and purple flew overhead and you instinctive readied your flagging defenses. Its own injury now staunched, the purple sprite danced around the now empty cradle, frantically pulling at the few remaining shards that only sparked and flashed uselessly. You watched in wary silence as the other sprite continued to zip and fly around in seemingly random patterns until it dawned on you that it simply knew of no other way to express its absolute fury at the destruction of the portal crystal.
     
    Abruptly, the purple sprite halted and you quivered as the full weight of its attention swiveled back to you. Forcefully wrenching open a communication channel with you, the other sprite seethed and raged at your sheer impudence. The audacity of daring to stand in its way. You trembled as one after another, new lances of purple mana coalesced around the hostile sprite until a dozen projectiles sat pointed at your core. In a slow, bitter tone, the hostile sprite expressed that before, you had simply been an amusement, something to harmlessly putter around under your inane god, blissful unaware of the slowly tightening noose. But now….. Now you were an actual problem. And the last loyal servant of Devitra had a very specific way of dealing with problems.
     
    Before the Sprite of Devitra could strike, a blinding sphere of pure white light enveloped it, dispelling the prepared lances as it did. You watched the sprite panic and try to escape, but the sphere was impregnable. With one last screech of dismay, the white light collapsed upon the purple sprite and it vanished with a barely audible pop. Swiveling around, you saw Mira kneeling next to Cirice, her staff extended to where the purple sprite had once been. “...And that, is how you deal with an unruly sprite.” Mira’s voice was horse and quiet, yet carried easily in the now still throne room. As grateful as you were for the intervention, you knew this wasn’t the end. The banishment charm would only have sent the purple sprite back to its divine domain, and it would one day reincarnate through whatever dark altars lurked in this land. You were certain your paths would cross again, and when they did, you didn’t think the Sprite of Devitra would be in a very forgiving mood.
     
    As Cirice roused back to consciousness, the entire castle shook and dust rained from the ceiling. Turning, you watched the massive infernal portal in the main courtyard start to flicker and spark with unstable lighting. The milling army of newly spawned demons collectively paused and gazed up uncertainly at the massive portal. Thunder boomed as a large bolt of lightning shot out, skewering dozens of demons in one clean reap. As panic set in, more bolts struck out, culling demons and destroying the crumbling architecture with each new strike.
     
    The demons turned to flee into the castle, but instead found themselves struggling to take so much as a single step forward. You felt the ambient mana in the air bend towards the portal as a howling wind picked up and began drawing anything not bolted down towards the burning plains beyond. With a chorus of shrieks, the demons army was forced back from whence they came. From somewhere high on the walls, you saw the form of the second tyrant plummet and explode into a cloud of ash in the middle of the war camp, the demon army literally going up in smoke.
     
    The throne room shook once more and you suddenly realized your friends weren’t out of danger yet. You turned to warn them of the impending collapse, but froze as a new figure shambled out of the shadows next to the pair. The dusty skeleton of the former king gazed down at Cirice and Mira with empty sockets as the adventurers struggled to their feet, uncertain of the newcomer. Tilting its head, the skeleton reached out a pale hand to press into a specific stone besides the throne. A new shudder ran through the room as the wall behind seamlessly slid apart to reveal a dark corridor beyond.
     
    Mira opened her mouth to ask something, but Cirice was already in motion. Despite still bleeding from her multiple wounds, the werewolf picked up and hoisted Mira over one shoulder while tugging her mace free of the wall. Red lighting still flashed and cracked between the spikes, but it went unnoticed by the wolf-cursed woman as she sprinted into the void without so much as another glance back at the crumbling room.
     
    The pull of the portal was now being felt in the throne room itself as the furniture began sliding towards the windows. Still unconscious, the limp from of Lilith began to roll and tumble as well, splashing free of her own cooling puddle. Just as the devil neared the windows, a loud crack echoed across the room and you saw all three brands of Nyma’s whips wrap securely around one of Lilith’s arms. Despite being heavily weakened, you watched the succubus cling to one of the room’s columns as she shook with the stain of keeping both of them from being sucked in.
     
    You were debating seeing what you could do to help, for Nyma’s sake at least, when a new eddy of magic ensnared you. Caught in its pull, you were helplessly drawn towards the yawing rent of rapidly destabilizing space despite your best efforts. As you slipped out the window and gazed upon the infernal realm, fear blossomed within you. Can sprites even survive in such a place, let alone return to Omoania’s domain?
     
    A new idea shot through you and you sprung into action, dumping the rest of your mana as quickly as you could. Shining brightly with amount of output power, you nipped at the edge of the portal for the briefest of moments before you popped, returning once more to your goddess’ welcoming embrace. Behind you, the portal quaked and collapsed, snapping shut with a deafening boom that sent one of the castle’s towers crashing to ground. As the last echos faded away, the ruined castle at last sat dormant once more.
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    The campfire crackled merrily, sending a new fresh spout of sparks drifting skyward. Mira drew in another slow breath, ignoring the sting of smoke in her lungs as well as the suddenly nagging sensation of her bladder. Pushing past the sensations with the stabilizing help of a single sprite of Nurina hovering nearby, she focused instead in the tinges of mana running through the tips of her fingers. Her elusive quarry once more slipped through her questing grasp, instead squirming away to clutch at the surrounding environment with stiff determination. Gritting her teeth, both her and the sprite redoubled their efforts, only to relent as Mira felt something else start to be pulled along with the dark splotch as well.
     
    With a gasp, she opened her eyes and stumbled back. The tingle of mana lingered in her fingertips before dissipating back into the ambient air as Cirice stirred from the log she sat on. The werewolf’s hopeful expression slowly slid off as she beheld her still furry forearms. As Mira weary sat down on her own rock, Cirice let out a long sigh. “...You can’t do, can you?”
     
    Mira bit the inside of her cheek, acutely aware of the werewolf’s palpable disappointment. Her bladder once more signaled its impending released and she tensed as a new surge threatened to spill into her last remaining pair of clean panties. It had taken the better part of two days to stop the intermittent leaks caused by the events at the castle, though with the return to the regular flora rather than the demonic variety was starting to help. Despite badly needing to go, she forced herself to sit still awhile longer and explain to Cirice what went wrong.
     
    “I can… feel it in there, and that’s a good start.” She began while the werewolf looked up with a hooded expression. “The problem is that dispelling a curse requires driving a wedge between the person and the magic. If you can tug them apart, the mana usually falls apart on its own. But when it comes to wolf curse…”
     
    The sprite of Nurina reassured her efforts and she gave her usual thanks in reply. Maybe it was her nagging bladder, but she found herself missing the sprite of Omoania. It really night and day compared to other sprites, even the ones that shared her devotion to Nurina. She hoped it made it back to Omoania safe and sound after everything that happened. Perhaps Nurina wouldn’t mind if Mira found a small effigy to contact the minor lust goddess in order to express her thanks…..
     
    Pushing the thought of sprites aside, Mira reflected on how best to convey things to her companion. “It’s like… Suppose you made two different batches of dough. Regular bread and… um….”
     
    “Pumpernickel?” Cirice supplied and Mira nodded.
     
    “...Pumpernickel. Then suppose I took both batches and kneaded them together. Could you, the master baker, then reliably separate the dough back into their original parts? Despite seeing the difference with your own eyes, could you guarantee absolutely that some small parts won’t get left in the wrong dough?” Cirice rested her chin on folded hands as Mira wrapped her speech up. “If you really want, I can try, but since its so deeply ingrained into you, I might damage what makes the rest of you…. You.”
     
    The werewolf nodded slowly in understanding, her expression thoughtful. Mira breathed a sigh of relief when Cirice finally growled and shook her head no. They had talked about this extensively over the past few days, though tonight had been the first time they felt safe enough to attempt it. The curse was very odd, it wasn’t from an item and it was unlikely to be the product of a fae or deity punishing a simple baker. And now, Mira was growing more convinced that it was something that had always been there and simply lay dormant until recently. Mira’s temple might have a better guess, or maybe the archmage council. Or maybe even further abroad in the other kingdoms. One way or another, Mira made a promise to Cirice and she intended to keep it.
     
    They sat in silence for another minute, Mira now visibly squirming but unwilling to leave in case Cirice had any additional followup questions. Just when Mira was about to excuse herself, Cirice slapped her leg and let out a forced laugh. “Well, at least I’ll be able to keep the mace a little longer.” She smiled and Mira stole a glance at the werewolf’s chosen weapon resting nearby, a red light that didn’t quite match the color of the fire shinning across its steel sheen. It had an odd aura about it since the battle in the throne room, but Mira hadn’t noticed any ill effects on Cirice thus far. It was just another thing to ask her temple when they got back.
     
    As the werewolf shifted and brushed aside Mira’s borrowed spare robe that still formed her basic skirt, the priestess stood and looked around for a sufficiently private patch of bushes. Just as she was about to say as much, a relaxed sigh drifted from Cirice along with a forceful patter of liquid spraying into the dirt. Spinning back around, Mira felt her mouth drop open as the werewolf casually peed where she sat, legs spread wide and unabashed as her forceful steam shot out into the cleared dirt around the fire pit. The sound filled Mira’s ears and her own piss made its suddenly bid for freedom. Warmth bloomed in her underwear once again as she crossed her legs to stave off the inevitable. “C-Cirice!”
     
    The werewolf’s ears flicked and she opened her eyes to see Mira dancing on her end of the fire. “Oh! Sorry Mira, I guess the wolf part doesn’t do that much thinking when I need to go.” She gave the same broad grin that Mira had to forcefully remind herself was meant to be friendly. Cirice made to rise, but her unabated stream dipped dangerously close to hitting her slightly singed skirt. Shrugging, Cirice sat down again and reclined, smugly watching her stream continue to shoot out to spray across unblemished dirt.
     
    As much as Mira was willing to let by based on the lycanthropy, sometimes she wondered if Cirice was deriving a bit too much pleasure from being so free spirited. At least if her gently wagging tail was any indication. Mira gasped as another leak squeaked out, the first warm droplets starting to run down her own thighs. Out of options, Mira hurriedly rolled up her own robes and dropped into a squat of her own. Unable to get her underwear off in time, she could only pull the damp fabric aside before her own stream started in earnest.
     
    “Wow, you really had to go to.” Cirice commented conversationally as she looked over to the squatting priestess. Blushing deeply, Mira looked down at her own steam and ignored the fact that both her and Cirice had unobstructed of each other’s privates. Nurina wasn’t one of the gods that held a vow of chastity for their devote, but there was still something… strange about having these sorts of thoughts in the middle of peeing. Yet another thing to reflect on once she was safe back home. Right after a much needed wardrobe refresh, as Mira belatedly realized she was now officially out of all possible forms of clean undergarments.
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    Lilith crossed her arms and gazed down at the distant main courtyard. Small groups of imps and fiends poked their way through the ruins of the war camp, searching for anything worth salvaging. A majority of them were the so called “old guard” as most of the new spawn had been consumed by the portal’s destruction. The few remaining new spawn were being worked to the bone, their positions of would be conquerors now flipped to scavengers holding onto whatever they could. Lilith didn’t need a working portal to know that her failure had made her quite a few enemies in the infernal plane and she was certain that her next visit there would be her last.
     
    “What a fucking mess.” She muttered, wincing as her wounds throbbed once more. She’d underestimated her own prisoners as well as her own physical shortcomings. She hadn’t made an mistake like that for at least a few decades. It hurt to admit, but the loss had been well deserved. She again toyed with the idea of sending a search party to recapture them, but given that she’d foolishly sacrificed her small portal for the larger one, there simply wasn’t the troops to spare. They had better make good of their clean escape, the devil wouldn’t pull any punches if she ever caught back up to them.
     
    “Oh, W-what punishments are you dreaming up Master?”
     
    A quivering voice rang out from behind her and Lilith sighed. Pinching her nose, she half turned to gaze back into the plush bedroom and the shivering naked succubus restrained on the bed within. Lilith found herself lingering on Nyma’s heaving breasts, nipples already perked before shaking herself back to reality. “Oh for fuck’s sake, I already told you I wasn’t going to do anything. And quite tying yourself up, it’s making this even weirder.”
     
    Returning to her domain, Lilith listened to the sound of Nyma sliding off the bed and crossing the room. She didn’t look, even as Nyma gently wrapped her arms around the devil’s midriff and rested her chin on Lilith’s shoulder. As the slightly flora scent of Nyma’s perfume wafted over her, Lilith found that her allure was surprising hard to resist, yet resist she did, even as Nyma started to trace patterns on her stomach. Lilith just couldn’t, not after everything that happened.
     
    They stood there in silent embrace for a minute before Nyma finally spoke. “...You know, you never did tell me why. Why go along with a mad sprite’s scheme that was always going to blow up in our faces one way or another?”
     
    Why indeed. Lilith though back to the past two months, to when this whole madness started. It would be easy to brush the question aside, to insist that she simply knew best, but recent events had shown that Nyma at least wasn’t buying that anymore. Perhaps it was time for the most undemonlike trait of genuine honesty.
     
    “...It told me I could be feared again.” She began, eyes shifting up into the middle distance. “That the world forgot about us, aside from the regular adventurers that swung by to farm blood rose or imp claws. I would be strong, unstoppable even. But above all respected, treated with the dignity I deserved. I would be feared.”
     
    Nyma let out a sympathetic hum and Lilith stiffened as she felt the succubus’ hot breath at the nape of her neck. Pushing her lewd impulse back, Lilith continued. “Of course, I started to realize things were moving too rapidly. The sprite had already secured significant aid from the hells, and spoke of other schemes to prevent the kingdoms from uniting against us. When I tried to pull back, start off small and build up the new spawn, that’s when it started making threats.”
     
    “Poor little Lilith.” Nyma breathed as her hands simultaneous drifted upward and downward to more sensitive areas. “If you needed protection from the big bad sprite, you should have come to the resident expert on these matters.”
     
    Lilith let her continue for a tantalizing moment longer before shifting, gently straining her bundled wings to push Nyma back. One more thing, just one last bit on honesty and Lilith could go back to the brooding overlord. “It wasn’t me that it was threatening to hurt.” She whispered. Nyma didn’t say anything, and the moment seemed to stretch as they continued to stand there at the railing.
     
    Sighing, Lilith prepared to take her leave when Nyma roughly spun her around. Lilith met the succubus’ eyes for a split second before Nyma drew her into a tender kiss. Against her better judgment, Lilith melted into the embrace, finally wrapping her own own arms around Nyma as she enjoyed the moment.
     
    Breaking apart, Nyma cupped a hand behind Lilith’s head as she gave the smallest of smiles. “...I know. You still should have come to me. You’ve been so stressed lately, so tightly wound.” Nyma hummed and drew closer to whisper in Lilith’s ear. “The demons can manage themselves for a bit, so why don’t you just sit back and… relax.”
     
    Lilith opened her mouth to ask what Nyma had in mind, when a sudden warm and wet sensation spread across her upper thigh. Glancing down, Lilith’s eyebrows shot up as she watched Nyma start to urinate all over her legs, drenching the armor for the second time in as many days. She was so shocked and mesmerized by Nyma’s pale yellow stream that she couldn’t do anything more but spluttering indignity as the succubus shook her hips back and forth to ensure an even coating. “Nyma, are you seriously pissing on me?” She finally managed as she gently pushed the giggling succubus back.
     
    Nyma teetered and flopped over, her pee now splashing against Lilith’s boots as she laid spread eagle on the balcony. “What, you can take bad advice from a sprite created by an obscure god but I can’t?” She teased before leaning back further. Still stunned and extremely conscious of her own soaked pants, Lilith watched as Nyma’s stream shot higher and higher until it at last flipped around to splatter against the succubus’ own belly. She didn’t seem to mind in the slightest, moaning loudly as she cupped her own breasts as the puddle steadily grew beneath her.
     
    Lilith found her mind slowly catching up to the turn of events. She should be furious at the sheer level of disrespect and damage to her clothes but…. No, she was furious at that, but the longer she watched Nyma the more the anger subsided. The surprising comforting warmth of her ruined pants wasn’t the worst sensation now that she thought about it. The demons could manage themselves for at least a little bit longer if she was being truthful. And if Nyma wanted to play this sort of game, Lilith’s own bladder had been tugging at the edge of her mind for the past hour or so….
     
    Decided that she had earned a break, Lilith crouched down to caress Nyma’s pussy as the succubus’ pee stream finally petered out. “You’re picking up some rather bad habits lately, pet. Looks like I need to show you who’s boss, again.” Nyma looked like she nearly passed out from excitement as Lilith felt the first convulsions of the first orgasm already start to take hold. The first genuine smile in what felt like forever stretched across the devil’s face as she began to tug off her own clothes at her lover’s eager urging.
     
    --------------------------------------------------------
     
    Ouch, that purple sprite is not to be taken lightly. Good thing we had the critical failure protection, I was not looking forward to potentially writing out a worst case scenario. As you might have noticed, the curse of decay is a universal debuff to our Omoania abilities at -10% per stack. We’ll get more into it during the next level up, but there is a way to clear the curses in exchange for skill points. At the same time, it shouldn’t be too much of burden unless we happen to pick a target with a native debuff trait as well.
     
    And now for some more bad news. Moving forward, I’ll start scaling back update frequency to this story slightly. To be perfectly clear, I am not discontinuing anything, this castle adventure was one of my favorites to write. But the whole point on my end of things was to get back in the kick of writing while hopefully contributing back to a website I spend a lot of time on. It worked, but it’s gotten to the point that anytime I sit down to write, it’s around when I need to get working on the next part for Omoania. I do want to get started on things I can actually show to my IRL friends and family, and maybe even something I can one day publish. So with that in mind, I’m shifting to trying to get an update out every 5-7 days, as opposed to the 3-4 schedule I’ve managed thus far. Voting deadlines will remain unchanged since with the exception of target or location votes, the tally is pretty static by the time the final day rolls through.
     
    Thank you for understanding, I hope you are still enjoying the stories. Next target will probably be a bit more relaxed, no purple sprites to fight at least, so I think I’ll take this moment to open things up back to you guys. Are there any particular characters, locations, or even scenarios you want to see in future rounds? Because even if it ultimately has to go to a vote, I like to think I’m pretty crafty when it comes to stealing working ideas back around into the next story based on various “What If?” comments already posted to this forum. Next level up will be out in a few days, and I hope to see everyone back for Target #7. Until then, I hope you have a fantastic rest of the day.
     
     
  25. Upvote
    BlueRaven got a reaction from Blackb1rd in A Sprite of Omoania - Fantasy / Sandbox Interactive Story   
    Double down on [Conjuration] Engage the purple sprite directly. If it comes to it, [Sacrifice].
    [Use Ability] Bladder Push on Lilith during the fight to throw her off.
    Use our free action to let them know about the purple sprite and what happened last time with Preta, so they know what dangers lie ahead. The demons, including Lilith are pawns in the sprite's greater scheme.
    Our party can handle themselves, we've seen this through with them to the end. Their target is the portal crystal and escaping with their lives. We need to be strong as steel and take on our old nemesis to keep its attention away from them.
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